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Post by freecharlie on May 30, 2016 17:30:27 GMT
And just do universal? I have kids that are almost 15 and almost 12.
We can get 7 days park hopper to universal for 900.
I keep flipping back and forth at paying for a day or two at Disney on top of that.
We won't spend the while week at a park as our resort has lots to do and we have some older members
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scorpeao
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Jun 25, 2014 21:04:54 GMT
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Post by scorpeao on May 30, 2016 17:39:42 GMT
I can't speak for your family, but no way could I be in the same city as a Disney and not go!
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calgal08
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Jun 27, 2014 15:43:46 GMT
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Post by calgal08 on May 30, 2016 17:41:12 GMT
Depends on what kind of family you are. If it was us, we'd run far far away from Disney.
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Post by AN on May 30, 2016 17:42:22 GMT
It's *okay* to do anything you want.
That said, if you're going specifically for an amusement park vacation, and it is 7 days long - I think it would be a shame to miss Disney if you've never been before. More than a few days at Universal, even with the variety of parks, is a long time. Disney adds so much, and they just do the experience like none other (and I'm not a big "Disney person" - but WDW is amazing - I enjoyed it more as an adult than as a kid TBH).
Something I ask myself in situations like this is "What's the extra cost? How much am I spending overall? In 3 months/6 months/9 months, will I miss that extra $500 in the big scheme of things?" Sometimes the answer is yes - the money really isn't worth it. But usually the answer is "You've gone this far and it doesn't wreck your finances, do the small upgrade/thing that will make the trip more enjoyable."
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Post by iteach3rdgrade on May 30, 2016 17:42:32 GMT
We went to Disney a few years ago. This year we are going to Universal and Legoland and skipping Disney. My son prefers Legoland. He is almost 9. I'd imagine Universal would have great rides for your children. I'm not sure how many my son will ride there.
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Post by scrapmaven on May 30, 2016 17:53:08 GMT
It's your vacation to do w/as you will. Go wherever you and your family want to go. Though I love Disney, I think it's overpriced and way too complicated to plan a vacation there anymore. I remember when you just went, w/o a plan, no stress and just had fun. As long as you had E tickets you were guaranteed a good time.
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basketdiva
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Post by basketdiva on May 30, 2016 18:36:25 GMT
Your vacation, your choice.
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basketdiva
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Posts: 3,613
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Post by basketdiva on May 30, 2016 18:38:05 GMT
Depends on what kind of family you are. If it was us, we'd run far far away from Disney. If it was me, I'd run far away from Universal! Enjoy your vacation. |
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marimoose
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Post by marimoose on May 30, 2016 18:44:00 GMT
I went nearly 4 years and my teen daughter would NOT do Disney. NOW - she is the biggest Disney freak ever. We did do a day at Universal and when she went this past summer she paid for the fast passes and did all of Universal in one day. hitting every ride. I can't imagine spending more than 2 days at Universal, with or without the fast pass. I also am in a place that I couldn't imagine not doing Disney. I would ask your boys what they think. It is your family's vacation so nothing is wrong with any of your choices.
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Post by anxiousmom on May 30, 2016 18:55:35 GMT
I just heard someone talking about about a flex ticket? I think it was called the Orlando Flex Ticket maybe. Anyway, it is an unlimited pass 14 day pass to Universal, Islands of Adventure, Wet and Wild, Sea World, Aquatica...and maybe something else. They were something like $380 each. They I heard it is that you can go to any of those parks, in any kind of order, as many times as you want-like Universal in the morning, Aquatica in the afternoon, Sea World at night, then the next morning and do it all over again.
I don't know a lot about it, but it sure seemed reasonable to me-particularly when you consider day passes for five days would cost more than that.
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on May 30, 2016 18:56:17 GMT
We did that a few years ago and had a blast!
Though DD is begging for next time to go to Disney.
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Post by jemmls4 on May 30, 2016 19:07:35 GMT
You do what's right for you. My family prefers Disney over universal, so we would probably spend the entire time at Disney. My kids (now young adults) have never cared for the faster, "wilder" rides that Universal has.
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Post by bdhudak on May 30, 2016 19:09:49 GMT
Last year our family of 5, me and husband - a 24, 21, and 18 year old did 2 days of disney and 2 in Universal, Magic Kingdom one day then Epcot, got the park hoppers for universal and Did one park one day and then the second. You need the park hopper to ride the train back and forth. Kids preferred Harry Potter over the rest of the universal offerings.
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Post by cmpeter on May 30, 2016 19:09:54 GMT
I would do two days at Universal and 5 at Disney. But then, the only reason I would go to Orlando would be to go to Disney.
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Deleted
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Apr 30, 2024 7:48:35 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2016 19:11:00 GMT
I think you should do whatever works for you and your family. It's ok if one park is more suited to your tastes than another  |
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Post by magentapea on May 30, 2016 21:52:59 GMT
We have been to Orlando more than once and prefer to skip Disney and spend multiple days at Universal. Last time we went, the boys were 12, 12, and 11, and they loved Universal. I think we spent a day at Sea World, too. If you sign up for their (Sea World's) emails, sometimes they are running specials for their ticket sales.
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Post by oliquig on May 30, 2016 21:59:58 GMT
If you want to do Disney without going to a park, book a character meal at one of the Disney resorts or in Downtown Disney, or just walk around Downtown Disney. You'll get a taste without having to shell out the dough.
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Post by JustCallMeMommy on May 30, 2016 22:10:06 GMT
We've done Universal only trips. On the first, we did a Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party to give us a "taste" of the Magic Kingdom, but DD(13) and I really love Universal so much that we don't miss Disney. It makes the trip almost twice as expensive when you start trying to do a split trip. Granted, you only pay for the travel once, but the first few days of the theme park tickets are the most expensive part.
DD and I both love re-riding rides, and we are Harry Potter fans. Our week long Universal trip was before the Gringotts ride was open, so our approach for Universal was heading straight to the Harry Potter area, ride Forbidden Journey until the line built up, do the rest of the park, and return to Forbidden Journey at night. We rode over 100 times in a week using the single rider line. By the 3rd day, the team members were telling us things to look for during the ride. I swear, it is so detailed that we saw something new every time.
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kelly8875
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Post by kelly8875 on May 30, 2016 22:11:15 GMT
You have to decide what your family is looking for. Personally, many rides make me motion sick...so Universal is bad for me. I can't ride much there. But Disney is good for me. I can ride and enjoy so many more things there, because so many of the rides aren't thrill rides. I also LOVE so many Disney movies, characters and the environment that Disney is about. Someone above me said you can't just go to Disney and enjoy it without a plan...that is NOT true. Just go, get in line, eat at counter service, look around. I think too many people try and over plan their vacations, and come home disappointed because you didn't get to "do" everything. The best times are when the trip is flexible, so much less stress that way |
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rickmer
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Post by rickmer on May 30, 2016 22:28:31 GMT
You have to decide what your family is looking for. Personally, many rides make me motion sick...so Universal is bad for me. I can't ride much there. But Disney is good for me. I can ride and enjoy so many more things there, because so many of the rides aren't thrill rides. I also LOVE so many Disney movies, characters and the environment that Disney is about. Someone above me said you can't just go to Disney and enjoy it without a plan...that is NOT true. Just go, get in line, eat at counter service, look around. I think too many people try and over plan their vacations, and come home disappointed because you didn't get to "do" everything. The best times are when the trip is flexible, so much less stress that way  100% this! i have older kids but they are not super adventurous when it comes to rides (i love a lot of thrill rides) i am not a huge disney fan at all but we had a great holiday there and truly there was something for each of the 5 of us that made it memorable. omg... i was *totally* knackered by the end of the week.... but we were rookies.  in your case, as great as our holiday was, i would stay with universal and the HP stuff. i would want to relax and enjoy the resort too. did i mention we were exhausted? |
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Post by anxiousmom on May 30, 2016 22:50:12 GMT
If you want to do Disney without going to a park, book a character meal at one of the Disney resorts or in Downtown Disney, or just walk around Downtown Disney. You'll get a taste without having to shell out the dough. This is a very popular group date night destination with my son and his friends. They always have fun and always end the night at Ghirardelli's for sundaes that are the size of my head.  So definitely add it to your list...except that they changed the name to some thing like Disney Springs instead of Downtown Disney. |
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Post by 950nancy on May 30, 2016 23:12:01 GMT
We did 4 full days at Universal this January. We were booked on-site property and got an extra hour every morning. For those two parks, four days was good. We rode almost every ride every day and many of them more than once. I felt like we really had a great experience (not too crowded) in those four full days. If you all haven't been to Disney, you could find out if it is a family favorite. I'd say go for at least a few days and make it a great memory.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2016 1:36:23 GMT
I would do two days at Universal and 5 at Disney. But then, the only reason I would go to Orlando would be to go to Disney. This would be me too. If it makes you feel better, DH and I are going to FL in a few weeks for a work trip and we are going to Disney for a few days. My mom and my 16 yr old niece are tagging along with us and as it stands right now, we aren't taking DS to Disney with us while DH and I go for two days. He'll be at the condo with them while DH and I go play for a bit. Everyone is like OMG how can you not take him? Well, he's 10 months old and will remember all of nothing and it's freaking hot and he will be miserable after an hour. It's your vacation to do whatever you want to do! |
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Post by vspindler on May 31, 2016 2:42:46 GMT
Haven't read the other posts but we are heading to Orlando soon and don't plan on doing any of the Disney parks. My kids (10 & 15) are more likely to find things of interest to them at Universal.
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julieb
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Post by julieb on May 31, 2016 3:30:51 GMT
7 days is a really long time at Universal. We were just in Orlando 2 weeks ago and did both Universal parks in one day. We took our youngest as a college grad present, as I had promised him years ago we would go to Harry Potter. DD and her fiance also joined us. We also did all 4 Disney parks in two days. Of course we didn't see everything, but with older "kids", you won't be doing Dr. Suess rides, etc.
There is no way I would skip Disney. Also, Universal really wore us out because so much of it is virtual/3D rides. Got kind of old.
Edited to add - both Harry Potter areas/rides are awesome. Also - the longest we waited in any ride at Universal and Disney was 35 minutes.
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Miss Cleo
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Jun 27, 2014 2:58:47 GMT
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Post by Miss Cleo on May 31, 2016 4:16:36 GMT
My kids (18, 16, 15 and 11) hated Disney. We went in March. They loved Universal.
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Post by nitad on May 31, 2016 8:52:53 GMT
Absolutely....NOT!!!
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Post by walkerdill on May 31, 2016 9:03:54 GMT
Noway I would do 7 days at Universal. That is waaaaay too long. You could easily see/do everything in 3-4 days. If you don't wanna do Disney try a water park, Gatorland or Sea World. 7 days you will be so bored if only at Universal.
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Post by *KAS* on May 31, 2016 11:00:17 GMT
I agree with others that I couldn't possibly do 7 days at Universal. I'd max out at 2-3 days there. Regardless of your Disney decision. (I'd do 2 days at universal and 5 days at Disney parks and 2 doing other stuff, but that is just for me personally!)
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on May 31, 2016 12:21:23 GMT
We went years ago when my girls were 4 and 6. They weren't much into Disney stuff so we skipped that one for this trip. Now they are 13 and 11 and would love to go to Disney. But my older DD would choose Harry Potter over all else! LOL
Anyway, our first trip, we were there 7 days ... Our main thing was SeaWorld. We got tickets using the SouthWest Airlines club discount. If you bought one day, the second day as free. So we used those passed plus bought up to have VIP for one day. It came with a tour guide, reserved, seats, lunch with Shamu, bottled water and you got to feed dolphins, sea lions and rays. For the second day, we came back to "SeaWorld After Dark" TOTALLY DIFFERENT experience. The park was less crowded, not sweltering hot and the fireworks / water show was awesome!
Then, we had one down-day at the hotel pool. I learned that here on Two Peas when planning my vacation! LOL
The peas were right! The kids BEGGED to swim in the pool. IT was nice and had waterslides. It was a fun relaxing day.
We went to an alligator place and local flea markets another day.
We also made one day to drive into Cocoa Beach and see the pier and swim in the ocean.
Another day we chartered a finishing boat and went fishing in Merit Bay. We really tried to mix it up and see/do as much as we could. We are more "off the beaten path" kind of family instead of "mainstream Disney" though. I don't love people that much though. Their rudeness and entitlement annoys me.
I hope you have an awesome trip!
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