i hate to do it - but universal?

[munchie22]

We will be in Orlando for six full days - i really want to take my children to Sea World. I don't want to give up any WDW time but DH wants to give it a try. I have a two year old and a very adventurous six year old. Have any WDW lovers tried it out and is it worth it?

 

[Got Quattro?]

I've been going to orlando 2 times a year since 1992 and still have not been to universal, and plan not too.

I go to Sea world every few years only because it is free since my father works for anheiser busch. But we get board after 2 hours.

6 days at disney is perfect.

4 dyas at the park, 2 days for the pool, and resort hopping + downtown disney.

If you try and squease in sea world and universal, you will just bne taking away from your time at WDW.

 

[ninermike]

if you have kids older than 5..go...universal is consistently ranked higher than disney parks....for kids 5 and under- Magic Kingdom is still best

 

[Mortlives]

With time that short, I would stay at WDW.

We're actually planning a separate trip for Universal next summer, because we only have 7 days in Orlando (well, Lake Buena Vista ), this time, but would eventually like to get to that "other" park.

Kungaloosh!
Morticia.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Do you want to take them to Sea World or Universal? They are different parks. Actually Universal has 2 parks: Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

haven't been to Sea World, we have one in San Antonio so we don't have the desire to go when in Orlando... we have done US and IOA and loved both, but wouldn't take children to it... just not quite enough to do there.

There are boards here on the disboards devoted to Sea World and US, if you want to check them out for more info.

 

[jackandsally]

Me and my husband (honeymoon) just came back from a 6 day trip and we did WDW and Universal (both parks) and we were able to get on all of the rides at each park and still had time to go to DTD and rest at the resorts.
Of course there were no kids involved.

 

[BCVBRUCE]

Another vote for Universal. I did the Sea World thing last year and it was not worth it. You can pretty much do the park in half a day. With that being said you are still looking at fish in a big tank.

Have Fun,
Bruce

 

[brentalex]

I think it all depends on who you are traveling with. For the past few years we always had to spend a day at Universal because my kids wanted to go to Nickelodeon. Especially when they were doing Slime time live, they always wanted to try to get on. Now that they are a bit older, my DD loves roller coasters and will want to go to islands of adverture. This year we went to Seaworld because we had never been. It was ok, daughter loved the roller coasters, but I don't think we would really go back again.

 

[SondraD11]

You mention that the ages of your children are 2 and 6. I would suggest that you stay at Disney rather than try to rush around during your stay. Universal has some very good attractions but I think they are geared more towards pre-teens and older. For example, Men in Black is a target shooting ride similar to Buzz Lightyear in concept but it is much more intense in the spinning and the special effects. With smaller children, you will want to take your time in the parks and spend more down time at the hotel and pool. I would wait a few years before adding Universal to the mix. I've never been to Seaworld so I can't comment on that park.

Sondra

 

[Sandyincanada]

I love Universal/IOA but with the age of your kids, they would probably enjoy WDW more. I think Universal is more geared to kids 10 and up. We always do both but spend more time at Univ/IOA

We found Seaworld to be a nice break and enjoyed it more than we expected although I wouldn't go again. Your kids may really enjoy it, they can pet stingrays and dolphins. Lots of very cute shows to go to.

 

[munchie22]

A resounding Thank you to all for taking the time to reply. Based on the advice, i have made my mind up to take things a little slower and just stick to Disney until the kids are older. It actually is a relief to not have to plan every second. I am amazed at how much planning goes into some trips - i envy their organization. But i know my family's style, and we definately are the types that wake up and decide what we want to do that day (in other words no PS's!)

Thank you.

 

[crazelion]

WDW is gear to little kids. US and IOA gear towards big kids. IOA had they best ride in Orlando called the Spiderman that should not be miss.

How this your Husband and 6 year old go US and IOA for the day. You and the other kid go to WDW for day. I think that would be a good compromise.

 

[powellrj]

The one great advantage to universal is if you stay on site, you have front of the line access on many of the more popular rides. We have been to universal many times, but I would really wait until the kids are in grade school or older to make the trip because the rides tend to be scarier and more intense than most Disney rides. If your kids like things like RnR, ToT, Space Mountain than you would be fine, but there really aren't too many tamer rides. There are some, but not as many as disney has.

 

[Connor&Cody'sMom]

We spent one day at IOA on our last trip (we were in Orlando 7 days). My DS's loved the rides (they were 9 & 12), but WDW is the place they keep asking about going back to. I felt the same way. It just wasn't the same as WDW. I thought the crowds were lighter at IOA than WDW, which surprised me. We walked on almost every ride at IOA, but at WDW we always waited in line. I guess I am a Disney girl.

 

[goofyernmost]

I will get shot for this but, Universal is a great park. Don't care so much for IOA but I do like the Spiderman ride.

Since the decline in Disney quality and Dark ride investments, I think that Universal is, in many ways, technically superior to Disney. Men in Black is better than Buzz, Back to the Future beats Star Wars, Earthquake and the Tornado is really well done, and Shrek IV is really good. The topper of all is the Terminator. That needs to be seen to be believed. Great engineering and technology.

All it lacks is the "Magic" and the "Mouse".

 

[JimmyBlaze]

I have annual passes at Universal and Disney. I always go to both each time I go to Orlando. I love the moving sidewalks from the parking garage at Universal that puts you out at City Walk.

 

[amcooper]

My family goes at least once or twice a year to Orlando. We started when my kids were about your age. We've been to all the parks and focus our stay on WDW most of the time. However we always make time for one day at Seaworld. The crowds are manageable, you rarely wait in line, and there are lots of interactive things for the kids to do with the animals. My kids love it. You can also see everything in the park in one day. Its a good relaxing break from WDW and your kids will have a great time. IMHO with your kids pretty young focus on WDW over Universal but take a day and see Seaworld. You won't regret it.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

We love Universal and have found plenty of rides and shows for the whole family. We started going when our youngest was 18 months old and he has always loved the parks.

Having said that, our first two times in Orlando we only did the WDW parks. There were so many things to see and do and were content with the WDW parks (the first Orlando visit was when the three older kids were 4, 7, and 10, and the next (3 years later) the kids were 1. 7, 10, and 13. I can't say that my youngest, now almost 5yo, prefers WDW to Universal or visa versa. He really likes all the parks and is a theme park junky, like his mom. It's a tough addiction to break!

T&B

 

[laceemouse]

This one always confuses me. People go on and on about how "scary" the dark rides at Disney are. We went to US once, talk about scary. Jaws, Twister, Terminater.....MY kids love everything Disney but would be scared of most of that stuff. IOA is almost all roller coasters. Even if your oldest is brave I doubt they would be tall enough for most of the mega-coasters there. Our family LOVES Seaworld. We are all animal lovers. It is not the place for thrill junkies though.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Actually, there are only a handful of rides that my almost 5yo can't ride at Universal--I think 3 coasters, a drop ride, and the flume ride (he's now tall enough for the flume, but wasn't when we were there). It really depends on the child. Jake is literally counting the inches before he can ride Dueling Dragons.

Since Jake is now 44" tall he can ride all but I think 3 rides in all of WDW. He still likes WDW, too, but I can see in a few years he won't be happy with the lack of thrill rides at WDW. At that time hopefully he'll be mature enough to appreciate WDW for what it does offer.

T&B