Planning our first Disney trip, advice needed

#1
KnoxRealtorVOL

KnoxRealtorVOL

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#1
So the wife and I are planning a Disney/Universal trip for early next year. It's our first one. Right now our tentative plan is to go to 2 Disney Parks (Animal Kingdom for sure, and one other) and then do the 2 Universal Parks (we want to go to Harry Potter world).

We are thinking about maybe doing the 2 Disney parks back to back, taking a rest day, then doing the 2 Universal parks back to back. The problem is, we don't know if it would be better to stay at one of the Disney resorts for all 5 days, or maybe stay there just 2 days, then get a different hotel for our rest day and the Universal days.

My question is, has anyone here ever done a similar trip? Or stayed at the Disney Resort that can tell us if it's worth it? Is it possible to just book the Disney resorts but not necessarily have to buy park tickets?

Any help would be much appreciated.
 
#2
#2
I've never been, but my pastor and his family go each year. They've told me about getting some kind of deal where they stay in the resort, and get food passes, they said it wasn't a bad deal. May be worth checking out.
 
#3
#3
joevol33 said:
I've never been, but my pastor and his family go each year. They've told me about getting some kind of deal where they stay in the resort, and get food passes, they said it wasn't a bad deal. May be worth checking out.
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This is what my family did. Get the speed passes too. We had a great time. Stayed a week at Disney.

Food and drinks are a little pricey but, hey is a vacation.
 
#4
#4
You have to do Magic Kingdom if you've never been.

I love Animal Kingdom (worked there for a semester during college even) but if you are only doing two I would problem choose Disney Studios (ticking taller coaster, tower of terror, star wars) over AK.

And Disney Resorts are fabulous hotels but can be on the pricey side.
 
#6
#6
I went to Universal last October for HHN (going again this year) and here's my take..

Depending on the time of year, you can do both Universal parks in a day. We had a blast, but had it not been for Halloween Horror Nights, we would have been done with Universal in half a day.

Now...Disney. In my opinion, you'll want more time at Disney. That place is so damn big that in (2002?), my family went for 10 days and I still don't think I saw everything. 2 days and you'll feel like you didn't make it through the entrance. MGM Studios (Hollywood Studios now I believe) is a must, Animal Kingdom is a must, and Magic Kingdom is a must. Most think you can live without Epcot, but it actually has some awesome rides, so you'll want to see that as well.

Imo, go to Disney for the whole time, then go back to Uninversal during HHN on the UT bye week. Our HHN trip normally costs about as much as going to Knoxville for a football game.
 
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#7
#7
chatt-townVOL said:
So the wife and I are planning a Disney/Universal trip for early next year. It's our first one. Right now our tentative plan is to go to 2 Disney Parks (Animal Kingdom for sure, and one other) and then do the 2 Universal Parks (we want to go to Harry Potter world).

We are thinking about maybe doing the 2 Disney parks back to back, taking a rest day, then doing the 2 Universal parks back to back. The problem is, we don't know if it would be better to stay at one of the Disney resorts for all 5 days, or maybe stay there just 2 days, then get a different hotel for our rest day and the Universal days.

My question is, has anyone here ever done a similar trip? Or stayed at the Disney Resort that can tell us if it's worth it? Is it possible to just book the Disney resorts but not necessarily have to buy park tickets?

Any help would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...

If you don't mind saying, how old are your kids? That will help determine what might be your best option based on age/interests.

Yes, you can absolutely stay at Disney resorts and not have to buy tickets.

The Animal Kingdom lodge, while expensive, is absolutely worth it. Any Disney resort you stay at will also allow you "extra magic hours" where the parks stay open later for people staying in Disney resorts. It's a great perk.

While Disney can get pretty pricey, most everything they do is top notch. Make sure to take advantage of the free transportation to all the parks and downtown Disney.

Also, Universal and Islands of Adventure are great. If your kids love roller coasters and rides, both places will be a hit.

If you have any other specific questions, I can try to answer. My wife has some family that works there so we try to get up there a couple times a year for long weekends.
 
#8
#8
volfanngaytorland said:
If you don't mind saying, how old are your kids? That will help determine what might be your best option based on age/interests.

Yes, you can absolutely stay at Disney resorts and not have to buy tickets.

The Animal Kingdom lodge, while expensive, is absolutely worth it. Any Disney resort you stay at will also allow you "extra magic hours" where the parks stay open later for people staying in Disney resorts. It's a great perk.

While Disney can get pretty pricey, most everything they do is top notch. Make sure to take advantage of the free transportation to all the parks and downtown Disney.

Also, Universal and Islands of Adventure are great. If your kids love roller coasters and rides, both places will be a hit.

If you have any other specific questions, I can try to answer. My wife has some family that works there so we try to get up there a couple times a year for long weekends.
Click to expand...

He never mentioned kids...I think it's just the two of them.
 
#9
#9
chatt-townVOL said:
So the wife and I are planning a Disney/Universal trip for early next year. It's our first one. Right now our tentative plan is to go to 2 Disney Parks (Animal Kingdom for sure, and one other) and then do the 2 Universal Parks (we want to go to Harry Potter world).

We are thinking about maybe doing the 2 Disney parks back to back, taking a rest day, then doing the 2 Universal parks back to back. The problem is, we don't know if it would be better to stay at one of the Disney resorts for all 5 days, or maybe stay there just 2 days, then get a different hotel for our rest day and the Universal days.

My question is, has anyone here ever done a similar trip? Or stayed at the Disney Resort that can tell us if it's worth it? Is it possible to just book the Disney resorts but not necessarily have to buy park tickets?

Any help would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...

Animal kingdom was my least favorite. My kids liked it but not as much as Magic Kingdom. The wife and I liked Epcot the most.
 
#10
#10
My wife and I actually booked our first trip to Disney last night!
We've been several times in the past but never with kids. We are going in March of 2016 so hopefully not too hot. The kids are excited.
 
#13
#13
Best advise I can give you about Disney and Universal is take a few thousand dollars with you. It gets expensive. Both are great. We like Universal better. The last time we went Florida we took our grand kids, stayed near Disney , took one day and drove down to Legoland, they really enjoyed it. It is a smaller park but nice.
 
#15
#15
First: when are you going? Animal Kingdom is a very very hot park. There isn't a lot of in door activities and you need to be able to handle high temperatures if you're planning to go to another park on the same day, I'd suggest a long relaxing break in between. But I'm sure you want to squeeze as much into one day as possible. Because your an adult I'd suggest animal kingdom and Epcot. Magic kingdom is really fun but Epcot is a great place for two adults. Hollywood studios has a lot that is closed right now because they're redoing the park (disney fans are expecting a major announcement in August). Only a few attractions are available at Hollywood studios whereas epcot and AK has a lot of cool things going on. I'm a disney guy so I can't speak for universal. But you can stay on disney property as long as you'd like without going to their parks. If you have any other questions please let me know.
 
#16
#16
I affirm what another poster said about Animal Kingdom resort. We've stayed at Coronado Springs, Boardwalk, and Grand Floridian. Kids enjoyed Boardwalk the most. After a couple of days though, they're simply hotels. AK is an experience. Resorts are super clean, well maintained, kid friendly. The transportation options are numerous for some (shuttle, monorail, boat). The Magic hours are great if your kids can stay awake for them or get up early enough.

What we do now, is stay all day one day, then chill the next (sleep in, order pizza, go to pool, hop over to downtown disney) etc. If you have little kids, especially a little princess, try to take advantage of character lunches / activities. These are also good on the chill day because they're literally all over WDW. You may get a character lunch at contemporary resort, and a princess makeover at grand floridian.

Some parks used to have abbreviated hours jan-mar but I'm not sure if that stil applies. In my opinion, epcot is a more adult experience. Except for finding nemo and soarin', my little ones got bored after about a half day. Park hopper is an expensive add on to a ticket but is worth it imo if you KNOW you're going to 2 parks in one day.

Lastly, not sure what shape you or your wife is in (imma chubster). If a little soft, start walking a few months before you go. Get your legs ready because my walking app tracked 25,000 steps in one 14 hour day. Plus, as a dad, you've gotta give the piggy back ride when little feets get tired.

Good luck and have fun
 
#17
#17
mdrew27 said:
First: when are you going? Animal Kingdom is a very very hot park. There isn't a lot of in door activities and you need to be able to handle high temperatures if you're planning to go to another park on the same day, I'd suggest a long relaxing break in between. But I'm sure you want to squeeze as much into one day as possible. Because your an adult I'd suggest animal kingdom and Epcot. Magic kingdom is really fun but Epcot is a great place for two adults. Hollywood studios has a lot that is closed right now because they're redoing the park (disney fans are expecting a major announcement in August). Only a few attractions are available at Hollywood studios whereas epcot and AK has a lot of cool things going on. I'm a disney guy so I can't speak for universal. But you can stay on disney property as long as you'd like without going to their parks. If you have any other questions please let me know.
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We're going in March so I doubt heat will be a problem. My wife is huge animal person so I would say AK is a must. Really the two musts on the trip are AK and the Harry Potter attractions at Universal. Can you give me a summary of Epcot? Exactly what makes it so good for adults?
 
#18
#18
chatt-townVOL said:
We're going in March so I doubt heat will be a problem. My wife is huge animal person so I would say AK is a must. Really the two musts on the trip are AK and the Harry Potter attractions at Universal. Can you give me a summary of Epcot? Exactly what makes it so good for adults?
Click to expand...

Just trust us and go to Epcot.
 
#19
#19
I don't think I would go back to Disney without the dining plan. If you go in Oct or Feb, you can usually find free dining offers at select Disney hotels.

Also look into a Chase Disney visa if you're good at paying the bill off when it comes in. They usually offer a bonus for getting the card and 1% in rewards. If you put your trip on it, you get 6 months at 0% to pay it off.
 
#20
#20
chatt-townVOL said:
We're going in March so I doubt heat will be a problem. My wife is huge animal person so I would say AK is a must. Really the two musts on the trip are AK and the Harry Potter attractions at Universal. Can you give me a summary of Epcot? Exactly what makes it so good for adults?
Click to expand...

Let me first start off by saying that I am a disney enthusiast. I have a lot of current and past knowledge of Disney World.

Magic Kingdom is badass. If you choose to go there, you'll have a great time. However, I hope you go there in 5-7 years when there have been new additions to Tomorrowland and hopefully the rest of the park.

Epcot: if you like to eat, drink, learn, and ride fun and informative rides (non-thrill, because you're going to universal and will get your fill of thrill there) you'll love this place. First let's start off with the current rides: there is mission space, a simulated thrill ride (intense and less intense options available) which takes you and three other passengers on a journey to Mars, it's really fun but makes my wife sick. Next door is the must do Test Track where you build your own car and your put through a series of tests automobiles endure to see how well your design concept performs (you'll acctually ride the same exact track and car everyone else does but they score your design against others at the end, it's really fun). Then there my favorite , SOARIN which takes you on a seated view of a hang glider experience over California or florida when they have the new movie installed. Those are the three must thrill type rides you'll have to expericnce. There are other kid rides,Turtle talk with Crush and a finding nemo ride you'll want to by pass. Now you'll want to explore the 11 country pavilions designed to be a Worlds fair exhibit for show casing those countries. The workers in each pavilion are from the actual countries. I love to strike up conversations with them. They're really helpful and love informing you about their native land and their experience working for the Mouse. Each country has wonderful food and drink. I especially like the Mexico, Chinense, Japanese, and German pavilion. China, Canada and France have wonderful videos portraying their countries. The American adventure has a must see video which brings any patriotic citizen a reminder of how great of a country we live in. Make sure you you get a spot, get it early, for the Illuminations of earth firework show. You can view it from almost anywhere in the park, there are benches around some of the lands which offer great seats. You won't be disappointed. Lastly, that big ass ball you walked under as you entered the park, make sure you take a ride in it before you leave. It's a wonderful ride detailing human communication since the beginning of our race, with a little suprise at the end.

If you like to eat really good food and want to have a couple of drinks this is the place.
 
#21
#21
I've stayed in Disney resorts every time I've been there. They can be a little pricey but the transportation to all the parks and Downtown Disney is very convenient.

Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are the 2 parks I would suggest if you are only doing 2(and your wife loves animals).
 
#22
#22
Also, the trip taking you between IOA and Universal is now the Hogwarts Express. That's a must.
 
#24
#24
I am surprised to see so much enthusiasm for Disney by adults. What do you all like about it so much?
 
#25
#25
f77f00 said:
I am surprised to see so much enthusiasm for Disney by adults. What do you all like about it so much?
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My children enjoyed it. He asked opinions for adults going. He was given opinions by adults on which parks they enjoyed most.
 
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