Orlando

Avoid the Combo Trip – Split the Trip! (Disney & Universal)

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Orlando Florida is sometimes referred to as the vacation capital of the United States and maybe even the world! With all their is to see and do in Florida, it can certainly feel like it must all be done at one time or in one trip. The reality is, this just isn’t possible. Just like we explored, when we talked whether to park hop or not to park hop, a very common question – uh, more like request – that I get from clients is that they wish to spend one day at Universal Studios Orlando. Or worse, they think that “Harry Potter Land” is part of of Walt Disney World. And I have to break the unfortunate news that it is not. I want to spend some time with today’s article trying to convince you as to why you should not look to spend one day at Universal Studios when visiting Disney, but instead, there is enough to do, that it can be a trip all its own! Let’s get started.

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Two Different Properties

To those who are not familiar with the Orlando-area, it might seem like Universal Studios (Harry Potter, Jurassic World, the Simpsons, Minions, Transformers, etc.) reside in the same basic area as Walt Disney World (Star Wars, Marvel, Disney, and Pixar). But, while these two properties are “near” each other, they aren’t exactly neighbors. In fact, at a minimum, they’re about a 30-minute drive from property line to property line, and depending on which park or resort on Disney property you’re looking to go to, that could extend closer to about 45 minutes. This also doesn’t include any wait time you might have for transportation to and from.

Moreover, because these two properties are operated by different companies, there isn’t complimentary transportation between the two, they operate with very different policies, and how you go about planning your reservations, your day, and your trip is going to be vastly different.

So, starting with that fundamental truth, it’s important to know that it will take time and money to get from one property to another. There are multiple options to do it: rideshare, shuttles, taxi, or driving your own rental car. But, they all cost money. Universal provides a Disney Resort to Universal Studios property shuttle and back again service for about $37 per person roundtrip, per day. So, a family of four can leave their Disney resort the morning of their Universal excursion and come back later for about $150 roundtrip. A rideshare may be considerably less, but you also have to deal with peak times, especially when the parks close at night which can make finding an Uber or Lyft difficult and costly.

The Harry Potter Problem

OK, let’s call this one for what it is: many people want to go to Universal Studios for one reason: HARRY POTTER! Many clients I talk to think that Harry Potter is part of Walt Disney World. They often get Universal STUDIOS mixed up with Hollywood STUDIOS and think that Harry Potter resides in the latter. But. It. Doesn’t. Furthermore, the confusion continues because Universal’s Islands of Adventure contains Marvel characters, which have been owned by Disney for over a decade. Because of this, clients have a hard time grasping the two companies concept.

Now Universal Orlando made a brilliant play here when deciding to scatter the multiple Harry Potter attractions (4 of them), dining, and shops of the Harry Potter universe among the two theme parks. So, to experience all that Harry Potter has to offer, you have to either A). buy a two-day, one-park per day ticket, or B). buy a one-day, park to park, ticket. Moreover, if you want to experience the Hogwarts Express, you MUST have a park-to-park ticket, regardless of the number of days. And, because the experience is different in each direction, Universal has made it all but impossible to want to buy any ticket other than a park-to-park ticket.

The One-Day Cost Factor

I know what you’re thinking – that doesn’t seem so bad so far. A one day park-to-park ticket is reasonable if I get to ride the four Harry Potter rides plus maximize my time at each park. And, you have at least part of it right. But, only if you’re willing to pay.

Both Disney and Universal work off of a “more you play, the less you pay” model. In other words, the more days of tickets you buy, the less you pay per day to do so. This means the one-day ticket at either company is the most costly. And, both Disney and Universal use a dynamic pricing model, so the day you choose to go, and what park you want to go to will also affect the price. So let’s try an example with a family of four for a random week in August. Note – remember, pricing varies, so do not interpret this article as a quote. I mean it! If you want a quote, I can help you with that. Fill out my planning blueprint here.

For this example, we’re not going to talk hotels, just tickets. We’ll talk hotels later. This family, the Smiths, have a 4-day park hopper ticket at Disney that they’re planning to use Monday through Thursday. The four days for the two adults (10+) and 2 kids (3-9) will cost them around $2300. They’ve indicated they want to take an excursion to Universal Studios for one day on Friday so their kids can experience Harry Potter. What will that cost them?

• Shuttle Transportation to/from Disney Resort: $148.
• 2-Park 1-Day Park to Park Tickets: $840.

This one-day excursion to Universal Studios will end up costing them about $1,000! Universal also offers an express pass option which allows its guests to skip most lines and get front of line access. Again, pricing will vary by day, but the cost ranges from $89 upwards of $350 per day per person, if it’s available as there is only a limited amount sold. So, let’s say they take express pass for that one day at $150 per ticket. That’s another $600, making this total excursion about $1600 – FOR ONE DAY!

Contrast that with just adding one additional park day to Walt Disney World, making their ticket a park hopper ticket for five days. The additional cost: about $200. $2500 vs. the original $2300. The more you play, the less you pay. So, you can add $200 more of playtime at Disney or $1000 for a one-day excursion to Universal. Yeah, I’ll give you a minute to pick your jaw off the table.

Make Universal Studios a Totally Different Trip

So, now we’ve arrived at the premise of the article – why you should make Universal Studios a totally different trip.  Obviously, ticket pricing isn’t the only factor that goes into your trip.  Hotels/resorts matter too! Same disclaimer applies – this is not a quote, it’s for information only.

Let’s imagine the Smith’s taking a Sunday – Saturday trip in the middle of August, with the aforementioned 5-day park hoppers.  They like higher-end accommodations and have settled on an Animal Kingdom Lodge basic resort view room with 2 queen beds.  This 6-night, 7-day trip with 5-day park hoppers will run them about $5500 approximately for tickets and resort.  Genie+ will run them about $25 per day per person, so approximately another $500.  We won’t talk food since that will be about the same regardless of which property they go to.  So, for resort, tickets, and the ability to skip lines, you’re looking at about $6,000 for this trip.

What does a similar experience look like at Universal Studios?  Since they like luxury, we’ll put them at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel – Universal’s version of a “deluxe” hotel that they call premiere.  But, there’s also another reason to stay here which I’ll get to in just a moment.  Just like Disney, the more you stay, the less you pay!  In this scenario, the most economical ticket is the 3-park unlimited ticket which allows the Smith’s to go to any of the three parks (Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, or Volcano Bay Water Park) whenever they want for the entire duration of their stay starting when they arrive and even on the day they leave.  In fact, they can enter and exit whichever of the three parks at any point for a total of 14 days.  That ticket for the four of them costs about $2100.  Moreover, because they are staying at a premiere hotel, they get COMPLIMENTARY EXPRESS PASSES.  You heard that correctly.  COMPLIMENTARY.  They don’t have to pay for it.  They can skip the lines for both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure for most attractions.  This trip, with the same duration, more theme park admittance, and complimentary front of line access, will cost about $4800. That complimentary express pass option is available regardless of which premiere hotel they stay at: Loews Portofino Bay, Loews Royal Pacific, or Loews Hardrock Hotel.

So that alone is a savings of $1200.  But when you stack up the fact that just a one-day excursion to Universal Studios will run the Smiths about $1600 or a third of what they would spend if they just came back and took a Universal vacation on its own, the math is clear.  Universal Studios offers a vacation value that just cannot be beat.  And, as they prepare to open their Epic Universe fourth park in the coming years, what once was the “little brother down the street” is becoming a major player in the themed entertainment game in the vacation capital of the world.

As I said before, nothing in this article is meant to imply a quote for Walt Disney World or Universal Studios.  If you would like to take a look at what Magical Memories by Casey can do for you, please fill out my planning blueprint and let’s start planning together!