If you’re waffling over the Disney vs. Universal debate, STOP. Both are located in sunny Orlando, Florida so why pick just one? Best accomplished with four or more days, a dual-resort vacation isn’t as tricky as it might seem. Add a little extra planning to your vacation and you can have it all in one action-packed visit.
Choose a home base…or two!
You maximize your vacation perks when staying at a hotel on property. Disney resort hotel benefits include:
- Complimentary transportation to any destination on property by bus, boat, or monorail
- Extra Magic Bands that double as your room key
- Merchandise delivery from resort gift shops to your hotel
- Access to the Disney Dining Plan
- Earlier access to FastPass+ and Disney dining reservations
- Extra Magic Hours with special park access before or after regular hours
- Complimentary airport transportation
Simply put, it’s easier to enjoy all that Disney has to offer when you’re staying on-site. While there are other area hotels that offer free shuttles, they rarely operate as often or as reliably as those at the Disney resorts. Cost-saving packages that roll your tickets, dining, and room into one are only available to resort guests.
So what to do about your time at Universal? You’ll get the most benefits if you split your vacation time in two and switch to a Universal Resort for that part of your stay. Universal resort perks include:
- Free Universal Express Unlimited with stays at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, and Loews Royal Pacific Resort
- Priority restaurant seating with stays at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, and Loews Royal Pacific Resort
- Early admission to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Universal’s Volcano Bay
- Complimentary transportation to Universal parks and CityWalk via shuttle bus or water taxi
- Merchandise delivery to your room from resort shops
- Charging privileges with your room key
- Club-to-club access to select Universal CityWalk locations
All that’s left is to choose the two resorts that best fit your needs. Disney and Universal both have richly themed options with lots of great amenities.
Make transportation arrangements
Snag a taxi or Uber to move between resorts if you don’t have a car (honestly, if you stay at both resorts you won’t need one!) If you’re bringing a car, be prepared for the fact that you’ll have to pay to park at your Universal hotel, though Disney resort parking is free.
Though you’ll sacrifice complimentary airport transportation for the portion of your stay that’s at Universal, you can arrange for Mears airport transportation from Universal hotels for a moderate fee. Do make arrangements with Disney’s Magical Express for a free ride to or from the airport, depending on your timing.
Give yourself extra time
Staying on-site will help you pack a little more park time into your stay with perks like Extra Magic Hours. However, you’ll still want to add a little extra time to your vacation to account for your hotel swap. Fortunately, Universal is an extremely compact theme park resort. You can walk between parks (or take the Hogwarts Express!) so you won’t spend a lot of time on transportation for the sake of park-hopping, like you do at Disney.
Give yourself the appropriate number of days at Disney, then count the day you switch resorts as a half-day at Universal. If you’re pressed for time, you can easily hit all the highlights of Universal with one more full day at their parks. If you’re a big-time Harry Potter fan or have other special considerations, you may want another day or so at Universal, but these parks rarely take long.
Understand the differences
Even guests who’ve chosen a single resort often get confused about where they are and what’s available. Many a visitor has asked for Minions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios or Star Wars at Universal Studios Florida. Both behemoths offer a lot of recognizable names and beloved brands, and it’s easy for the lines to get blurred.
If you’re visiting both resorts in your stay, it’s important to do a little guide-book or blog reading to help you brush up on the basics.
You probably know that Disney is the home of Mickey, Minnie, and the rest of the gang. But you might forget that Disney also has:
- Star Wars
- Indiana Jones
- Muppets
- Avatar
Universal boasts a different set of famous characters. Among them are:
- Harry Potter
- Shrek
- Despicable Me and the Minions
- Transformers
- Simpsons
- Men in Black
- Jurassic Park
- King Kong
The superhero lines get confusing in Orlando because Universal still has the monopoly on Marvel-themed attractions east of the Mississippi thanks to a ridiculous contract from the 90s. So you won’t see Marvel attractions at Walt Disney World (though they are popping up at Disneyland.) The Hulk roller coaster, Spider-Man, and other Marvel super hero attractions are at Superhero Island at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. You will, however, see some Marvel merch at Disney. Disney Springs even has a Marvel Super Hero Headquarters Store. So you can buy Marvel Mickey ears at Disney and wear them to Superhero Island at Universal. Yes, it’s confusing, so a little prep ahead of time is important to help you figure out what’s where.
Know your must-sees
When you’re switching parks mid-vacay, you can’t easily go back for what you missed. As you’re reviewing the attractions at each theme park resort, make a list of your must-sees. At Disney, you should prioritize FastPass+ reservations for these attractions to make it easier to secure your spot on the ride. If you’re vying for a seat to a show like Finding Nemo: The Musical at Disney or Animal Actors On Location! at Universal, check show times as soon as you get to the park and pick one that’s earlier rather than later so you have a back-up if something comes up and you miss it.
Though you want some flexibility to play things by ear when you get to the parks, having a short list of things that are most important to you will help ensure you don’t miss a thing.
Planning your visit carefully, you can easily include both of Orlando’s biggest theme park resorts in your stay. Just make sure you have comfortable walking shoes because you’ll get a major workout.
