Switch to Universal?

[moesy4]

We currently have a trip to Disney planned the first part of November for 11 nights. With the slowdown of things opening there and the crazy long lines and staffing shortages there, we are thinking about moving our trip back to February and doing a Universal trip
Instead. Our kids are 11, 8, and 7. We would be getting a 5 day 3 park pass through our homeschool group and more than likely stay at Dockside for the 2 bedrooms and book a throwaway room for the Express Pass for 2 of the days. Can you sell me on one or the other? When would you rebook Disney to if we should switch to have a decent chance of at least things being open?
I know there is no predictability with COVID but since we haven’t been to Universal at all with kids and not Disney since 2016, need some guidance. This would probably be a final trip to Disney for us if that makes a difference.
We don’t really care one way or the other about COVID restrictions or lack there of as long as we aren’t wearing masks outside.

 

[Calee]

My family had never done Universal, and we did it this year because of all the closures at Disney. I ADORE Disney and we have been 4 times, but I went on a girls trip in September and said I did not want to take my kids again until everything was back open, and I still feel that way. For ME and my kids, I know that we would be comparing to the "before times" and would feel the losses. We are not people that can afford to go multiple times per year or see this as just a "make the most of it" experience, so for me we are waiting.

We tried Universal in March and it was cheaper for our family to get Annual Passes (the cheapest ones) and then get a room discount, then it was to buy regular tickets. It wasn't Disney, I admit. But it is different, and it was GOOD. The hotels were wonderful, it was much cheaper than a Disney trip for a family of 5, and my kids really enjoyed the new experiences. Anything that is different about Universal due to COVID, we are unaware because we have nothing to compare to. We have also already been back (June) and will go again once or twice before our passes run out!

COVID is unpredictable, you are right. But as it stands TODAY, I would choose Universal right now over Disney, even though Disney has my heart, I can't give them my money until things are a bit more normal.

 

[MarcIsMe]

We did a week long trip to Disney in early December with a throw away Royal Pacific reservation on Wednesday to get the Express Passes. I had already bought a combination of one preferred annual pass and two seasonal passes when Universal was offering three additional months since I knew we would be taking a trip later with the other two older kids. That one and half days with the express pass and the cheaper hotel price with the AP discount made me a convert. Since then I have been to Disney once (I am also a Disney AP holder) and Universal three times. My wife is a huge Disney fan, but between the Disney hotel and ticket costs and that my younger son was miserable with the Magic Kingdom crowds during the December trip, we cut down our Disney days to 3 for an upcoming January Disney/Universal trip and added the day to the Universal Parks.

 

[greg9x]

Volcano Bay was shut down last winter...who knows what will happen this year, so may not need 3 Park tickets for Universal in February... Everything is up in the air right now with increasing restrictions/mandates again, if things don't get better soon, think winter is going to be bad again.

Universal is also having staffing shortages, especially at restaurants causing need to make reservations weeks out like have to do at Disney, when it wasn't needed before. But who knows what situation will be for either set of parks in few months.

But if things are 'ok'.. maybe the current crush at both parks will chill a bit after schools go back. If not planning either trip around the holidays and wanted to go to Universal why not take a couple days out of the Disney trip and do both ? If VB is closed for trip in Feb., 5 days is quite a bit for the 2 parks unless you want a lot of downtime or doing other things in Orlando.

 

[Mousefan mom]

My family had never done Universal, and we did it this year because of all the closures at Disney. I ADORE Disney and we have been 4 times, but I went on a girls trip in September and said I did not want to take my kids again until everything was back open, and I still feel that way. For ME and my kids, I know that we would be comparing to the "before times" and would feel the losses. We are not people that can afford to go multiple times per year or see this as just a "make the most of it" experience, so for me we are waiting.

We tried Universal in March and it was cheaper for our family to get Annual Passes (the cheapest ones) and then get a room discount, then it was to buy regular tickets. It wasn't Disney, I admit. But it is different, and it was GOOD. The hotels were wonderful, it was much cheaper than a Disney trip for a family of 5, and my kids really enjoyed the new experiences. Anything that is different about Universal due to COVID, we are unaware because we have nothing to compare to. We have also already been back (June) and will go again once or twice before our passes run out!

COVID is unpredictable, you are right. But as it stands TODAY, I would choose Universal right now over Disney, even though Disney has my heart, I can't give them my money until things are a bit more normal.

We are also a family of 5 just cut our Disney trip short (and I am a HUGE Disney person, we go regularly and have for years now) and it was simply awful. We checked out early and cut our trip short. To the OP--I HIGHLY recommend you don't do Disney in November--the Disney Magic is not there right now. They need to get a lot of things figured out. We spoke to so many people while there who told us Universal is handling the pandemic much better. We have a Dec trip and we know we won't be going back to Disney--thinking of going to Universal instead.

I have a question--as a family of 5--where did you guys stay at Universal? Was it comfortable?
Are masks required at Universal too? We are a fully vaccinated family--and if we just managed to survive the masses at Disney without them--I'm feeling pretty confident our vaccines are doing their job.

 

[Calee]

We are also a family of 5 just cut our Disney trip short (and I am a HUGE Disney person, we go regularly and have for years now) and it was simply awful. We checked out early and cut our trip short. To the OP--I HIGHLY recommend you don't do Disney in November--the Disney Magic is not there right now. They need to get a lot of things figured out. We spoke to so many people while there who told us Universal is handling the pandemic much better. We have a Dec trip and we know we won't be going back to Disney--thinking of going to Universal instead.

I have a question--as a family of 5--where did you guys stay at Universal? Was it comfortable?
Are masks required at Universal too? We are a fully vaccinated family--and if we just managed to survive the masses at Disney without them--I'm feeling pretty confident our vaccines are doing their job.

We have stayed at Dockside and Royal Pacific. As far as the room, Dockside was more comfortable for my family because we had a suite, 3 beds, a separate bedroom-for CHEAP!

Royal Pacific is a traditional hotel size room with 2 queen beds. We took a twin air mattress. It's fine. I like it because of the proximity to the parks and the express passes, but the room itself is nothing special for a family of 5. It is a pretty resort. The pool doesn't have a slide which is a bummer to my kids, but at Universal you can pool hop which is awesome.

Next time we will likely try a different EP hotel.

When we went in March masks were required. When we went in June they were not. They have not brought them back as of yet.

 

[jdrum3]

Our kids are 17/14 and we did a combo where we hit Hollywood Studios one day and universal for 4. Disney was great, but not sure I would want an exclusive trip there. My kids are huge HP fans and they like thrill rides, so universal was more appealing to them.

 

[Magical2017]

When we planned our trip the kids chose Universal over Disney. We visited in May of this year. Our boys are 15 and 12 and said they like Universal more than Disney now. They want to go back on our next theme park vacation. We are all big HP fans and it was the highlight of our trip. We also loved the express passes and staying at Portofino Bay. I think I want to try Royal Pacific but everyone keeps saying to book PB again.

 

[shawthorne44]

I'd do Universal. One nice thing about a Universal only vacation is that you can get annual passes for cheaper than Disney tickets would be. If the family really likes it, you can come back, you can for cheaper since no tickets needed. If you are thinking, "We only do a vacation once a year", you can go in 11 months.

Also extra wonderful to have passes if you are homeschoolers. We bought USF annual passes for Feb 2020, then planning a Jan 2021 trip to Disney with a day or two of free USF days. Well, the Disney trip was postponed a year until things are back to normal. But, we ended up slipping in another two USF trips, so we got 3.5 weeks on that pass. If the homeschool passes work out to be cheaper, you can get one pass for the hotel discount.

Also, your kids are really good ages for Universal.

 

[Pooh's World]

We currently have a trip to Disney planned the first part of November for 11 nights. With the slowdown of things opening there and the crazy long lines and staffing shortages there, we are thinking about moving our trip back to February and doing a Universal trip
Instead. Our kids are 11, 8, and 7. We would be getting a 5 day 3 park pass through our homeschool group and more than likely stay at Dockside for the 2 bedrooms and book a throwaway room for the Express Pass for 2 of the days. Can you sell me on one or the other? When would you rebook Disney to if we should switch to have a decent chance of at least things being open?
I know there is no predictability with COVID but since we haven’t been to Universal at all with kids and not Disney since 2016, need some guidance. This would probably be a final trip to Disney for us if that makes a difference.
We don’t really care one way or the other about COVID restrictions or lack there of as long as we aren’t wearing masks outside.

How much is your Homeschool rate. The Annual Pass may be cheaper and you would also be able to use it again in February for a day or two if your kids love Universal.

 

[moesy4]

How much is your Homeschool rate. The Annual Pass may be cheaper and you would also be able to use it again in February for a day or two if your kids love Universal.

It is 215 for the 5 day park to park 3 park pass…but anxiously waiting to see if AP discounts come out and we will at least utilize one of us for that!

 

[shawthorne44]

That is a good price. Remember, that you only need to show the AP before you checkout, and you don't need AP's in hand in order to book the AP rate. Also, you can upgrade to AP's after you've used the tickets. So, you can wait until you get there to decide whether to switch none, one, or all to AP's.

From what I've read, when you upgrade they credit you with what you paid for the tickets. If they can't figure that out, they'll credit the full-value. They are more likely to not know what you paid after you've started to use the tickets. Although, I don't think they sell regular 5-day tickets.

On the AP Hotel rate, I'd use one of the TA's here and tell them you will want the AP rates when it comes out. They know when that happens.

 

[Crystal824]

We just got back from a Universal trip. Kids are 11, 7, and 4. They had a blast. We are also Disney people. We own DVC. We went to Disney in Oct. and April. We can't justify going again in the near future without APs. We got shut out of APs during the pandemic. We were just about to purchase APs when Disney stopped selling them. Ours expired in the fall of 2019. Since we didn't have a trip planned until June 2020 we let them lapse and were going to purchase new Aps in April to make FPs. We decided if we have to buy tickets anyway, we will try something new. We did 4 days at Vero Beach and 5 days at Universal staying at Royal Pacific. We LOVED Universal.

It remined me of how Disney used to be long ago. We have been doing Disney trips since 1999. Over time, things have gotten more crowded, rigid and stream lined. Universal was a refreshing change. I loved that we could easily walk to everything. There was an abundance of themed merchandise for everything. While expensive, I felt like the value is better there than at Disney right now. We bought the Universal APs and plan to go again in Nov. This time we will stay DVC and we might go to MK for one day and spend the rest of our time at Universal.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

We normally do a Disney trip once every two years, our last was in December 2019, so right before the pandemic. I won't tour WDW without FP of some kind, period, end of sentence. Portofino rooms come with free EP, and my kids are Harry Potter fanatics. Universal won this year. Hopefully, Florida will get its case numbers down and we'll be able to get at least our eldest vaccinated by then.

 

[Bethany10]

I have a question--as a family of 5--where did you guys stay at Universal? Was it comfortable?

We are a family of 4, but we're big room people. We stayed in 2 family suites at Cabana Bay and found the room to be enough. That said, CB does not offer the EP. If that's a deal breaker than I'd look at room cost between the three EP hotels and see if you can swing 2 connecting rooms. we actually did a split stay at Royal Pacific and CB and should we go back would stay at Portofino.

 

[moesy4]

W

We are a family of 4, but we're big room people. We stayed in 2 family suites at Cabana Bay and found the room to be enough. That said, CB does not offer the EP. If that's a deal breaker than I'd look at room cost between the three EP hotels and see if you can swing 2 connecting rooms. we actually did a split stay at Royal Pacific and CB and should we go back would stay at Portofino.

What do you think of the Aventura kid’s suite?

 

[Pooh's World]

We just got back from a Universal trip. Kids are 11, 7, and 4. They had a blast. We are also Disney people. We own DVC. We went to Disney in Oct. and April. We can't justify going again in the near future without APs. We got shut out of APs during the pandemic. We were just about to purchase APs when Disney stopped selling them. Ours expired in the fall of 2019. Since we didn't have a trip planned until June 2020 we let them lapse and were going to purchase new Aps in April to make FPs. We decided if we have to buy tickets anyway, we will try something new. We did 4 days at Vero Beach and 5 days at Universal staying at Royal Pacific. We LOVED Universal.

It remined me of how Disney used to be long ago. We have been doing Disney trips since 1999. Over time, things have gotten more crowded, rigid and stream lined. Universal was a refreshing change. I loved that we could easily walk to everything. There was an abundance of themed merchandise for everything. While expensive, I felt like the value is better there than at Disney right now. We bought the Universal APs and plan to go again in Nov. This time we will stay DVC and we might go to MK for one day and spend the rest of our time at Universal.

I'm in the same boat. My Disney AP expired in December of 2020. I let it lapse thinking I would renew summer of 2020.

 

[Bethany10]

What do you think of the Aventura kid’s suite?

So our first trip was in 2019, Aventura was built but not open at the time. We stayed in Cabana Bay then and really loved the amenities. We had a 13 and 10 year old then. They loved the pools, bowling alley and quick access to volcano bay. Flash forward to 2021 and DH's request was 2 rooms, so we had 2 regular rooms at RP and 2 family suites at CB. We loved the extra room both situations gave us. Our stay at CB was not as nice as it was in 2019, the hotel is either showing its age or strain with the pandemic related staffing issues.

To your question: that looks really nice, and a decent amount of room. I looked at the kids suite at the Hard Rock, which looks similar in layout. Unfortunately, neither hotel's amenities appeal to us. We're big room people, we like to go back mid day and maybe venture out for dinner, maybe eat at the hotel so having a place that has amenities that fit our needs is important. I know this isn't the case for many families, who are more park people. I just don't care for the ultra modern look of Aventura. I have heard that the views from the rooftop bar are amazing, but the food and drinks are meh. Again, I don't have first hand experience with this, simply what I've gleaned from the boards. So if you like the amenities, and the price is right, then go for it. Having enough space, especially with 3 kids is a must.

From our trip this past June, should we go back we want to try Portofino. We found that 2 regular rooms work fine for us, the boat to citywalk was a huge hit, AND the addition of EP sealed the deal.

 

[moesy4]

So our first trip was in 2019, Aventura was built but not open at the time. We stayed in Cabana Bay then and really loved the amenities. We had a 13 and 10 year old then. They loved the pools, bowling alley and quick access to volcano bay. Flash forward to 2021 and DH's request was 2 rooms, so we had 2 regular rooms at RP and 2 family suites at CB. We loved the extra room both situations gave us. Our stay at CB was not as nice as it was in 2019, the hotel is either showing its age or strain with the pandemic related staffing issues.

To your question: that looks really nice, and a decent amount of room. I looked at the kids suite at the Hard Rock, which looks similar in layout. Unfortunately, neither hotel's amenities appeal to us. We're big room people, we like to go back mid day and maybe venture out for dinner, maybe eat at the hotel so having a place that has amenities that fit our needs is important. I know this isn't the case for many families, who are more park people. I just don't care for the ultra modern look of Aventura. I have heard that the views from the rooftop bar are amazing, but the food and drinks are meh. Again, I don't have first hand experience with this, simply what I've gleaned from the boards. So if you like the amenities, and the price is right, then go for it. Having enough space, especially with 3 kids is a must.

From our trip this past June, should we go back we want to try Portofino. We found that 2 regular rooms work fine for us, the boat to citywalk was a huge hit, AND the addition of EP sealed the deal.

We originally booked Cabana Bay but recent reviews look pretty wretched...crazy long check in lines, dirtyness all over, non functioning things in the rooms. It seems to be universally crappy across all reviews.

 

[Travelgrrl]

I used to be hardcore Disney, but Universal is my new love because it's so much EASIER. Not to mention cheaper. Disney is sky high these days, while Universal has remained very reasonable to me.

Going in December (let's hope!) and couldn't be more excited.