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We just celebrated our one year wedding anniversary(!) by spending a long weekend thoroughly and impressively dominating Orlando (meaning Disney World and Universal). Orlando is often viewed as for families only. We want to show you that if done right, it can be an incredible trip for couples as well. So if you are a kid at heart but have no kids in tow, listen up and we hope these tips are helpful…
Want some great advice? Check out our rankings of the best rides at Disney & Universal and tell us what you think!
Preparation:
Bring a backpack and make sure you have the following tucked safely inside:
- Suncreen – You would not believe the number of lobster-red people we saw dragging their feet through the parks at 5pm. Save yourself the pain and put on sunscreen immediately upon waking up and then reapply if you’re still outside at noon (you shouldn’t be if you follow our plan!)
- Water – We packed a big Nalgene bottle and had it filled with water. Then we were able to refill it from water fountains throughout the day.
- Snacks – Pack some healthy snacks like almonds, apples, oranges, granola bars, and some PB&J sandwiches. You will want to indulge during dinner at one of the great Epcot restaurants so save a few bucks and calories by eating healthy pre-packed snacks throughout the day.
- Bandaids – If done right, you will be getting blisters on your feet from all of your hustling around the parks. Be prepared.
For Universal:
- Buy the dual park pass – You can access both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. Trust me… you will, without a doubt, want to ride the roller coasters at both.
- Buy the Express Pass- Allows you to skip the long lines at certain rides. I know you might be trying to save a few dollars but you will not have time to enjoy both parks in one day (necessary for Orlando domination) if you skimp. Plus, you are saving money already by packing your own snacks so spend those savings on something that is worth it. The Express Pass ranges in price depending on the season but if it is at its low point, you will actually be OK to not get it since the parks will not be that crowded anyways.
- Make reservations at a good restaurant in City Walk, a great outdoor mall located at the entrance of both Universal parks.
For Disney World:
- Buy a two-day multi-park ticket – Allows you to visit more than one park in a day and with a two-day pass you will ride every great ride (twice if you want) at all four parks.
- Research the Fast Pass – No costly Express Pass like Universal, but you actually have to grab a Fast Pass at the individual rides that offer them. They will tell you what time to come back to bypass the line. Two points to focus on: 1) You can only have one Fast Pass per person at any time and 2) You will not, no matter what, be allowed to use the Fast Pass before the time it gives but you can typically show up much later and still have the line attendant accept it.
- Stay at a Disney resort – You will feel the need to save money by staying somewhere cheap, nearby, and not affiliated with Disney. Resist this urge. Stay at a low to mid-range Disney hotel and you will be allowed early entrance to a different park each day (one hour before non-Disney guests) as well as late access to a different park at night (for three hours after non-Disney guests). Plus, you get free bus, tram, or boat transportation (where available) to the parks along with free parking (up to $20 a day otherwise).
- Make restaurant reservations – We loved eating at Epcot as they have a fantastic man-made lake that is surrounded by different “countries” with each having their own restaurant. These get booked early so be sure to reserve a time at least two weeks in advance (one month if you are on top of your game).
- Know in advance the best way to leave Parks during peak hours – Most of the Disney parks have a main street where the entrance funnels everyone into the park. Trying to walk against the oncoming noon-time families to make your escape is near impossible. However, the shops that line the streets are connected, much less crowded, and air conditioned. Save yourself the hassle and cut through the gift shops on your way out of the park. Just try not to spend too much on all of the trinkets they sell!
Domination:
If you stick to the schedule we followed, three days is the perfect amount of time to visit Orlando if you aren’t chasing kids around. One day for both Universal parks and two for the four parks at Disney. Now that you have prepared for total domination of Orlando, let’s breakdown what we did so you can get the most out of your trip:
Day 1
We decided to visit Universal first since neither of us had ever been. Universal’s Islands of Adventure opened at 9am so we were parked and waiting in line by 8:15am. A key to getting the most out of your Orlando trip is to show up early. Do NOT sleep in. Families spend all morning getting children dressed and fed, so they are nowhere to be found until 11am (especially at Disney). Take advantage of other people’s hectic mornings and get to the park as it opens so you can try the most popular rides first. We focused on the rides that did not have fastpass lanes first, since the lines would be the shortest at these right at park opening. And being able to ride the new Harry Potter ride (Meg’s absolute, must-do ride) while the lines were still short was a big payoff for the early morning strategy.
Time will fly by as your adrenaline peaks during the rides and then crashes afterwards. Pace yourself as it is going to be a long day. Plan to eat those sandwiches and apples you packed around 11:30am like we did. A little early for lunch but since we ate an early breakfast (just to ensure we were early to the park) we were hungry already. Plus, when we were done snacking at noon all of the families were just starting to pile in at the food stands, which meant the lines were even shorter than normal! After the early lunch, we went back to a few of our favorite rides while everyone else was just starting to eat and then headed over to Universal Studios for the afternoon. What did we do at Universal Studios? Stuck to our game plan! We leveraged those fastpasses for all they were worth and ran right by all of the families waiting in the regular lines… and don’t worry, the guilt of cutting people is heavily outweighed by the joy of not spending 45 minutes in line to ride a 2 minute roller coaster. At 6:30pm we hopped on the last coaster ride of the day and then headed off to dinner at Emeril’s Orlando (and to catch the last of the great happy hour prices). We got back to the Disney resort around 10pm, crawled into bed, and were unconscious before the hotel door clicked shut.
Day 2
Exhausted from the day before, despite 8 1/2 hours of sleep, we dragged ourselves to the car to drive to Magic Kingdom. This park had its early opening for resort guests on Day 2, so we of course were in line by 7:30am for the 8:00am opening. Magic Kingdom, more than any of the other Disney World parks, brought back that sweet nostalgia from my childhood visits. I was hoping the magic had not worn off just because I was tall enough finally to ride all of the rides… The bad news? If you’re older than 13, Magic Kingdom probably has the least to offer out of all of the Disney parks. But that’s OK. We were on a mission to dominate and dominate we did. We headed right for Space Mountain, while much less impressive as a coaster after experiencing what Universal had to offer, still gave thrills. We grabbed the Space Mountain Fast Pass, then it was over to Splash Mountain for some goofy animatronics with one great roller coaster dive to finish it off.
We toured some of the classic rides, like Pirates of the Carribbean (because you have to… right?) before finishing off with one more Space Mountain ride (no waiting since we had our Fast Pass!). After 3 1/2 hours, Magic Kingdom had given all of the thrills it could. So that set phase two of our Day two plan into motion… Nap time! We were in it for the long haul and realized that we needed to pace ourselves. Epcot had extended resort guest hours this night (from 9pm-12am) and we had dinner plans there at La Hacienda de San Angel at 7pm. So we rested up and caught the free resort bus over to Epcot around 5pm. Epcot is great with the park-hopper pass because of the great restaurants that surround the man-made lake. But the rides? Well in Meg’s own words: “LAME!” Being a space nerd, I loved the simulation ride that let you experience the G-forces of a space shuttle launch (read that again and you will be amazed that I not only attracted a female, but got her to marry me). But that was about it. Although the fireworks show at 9pm is pretty impressive…
We tried as many rides as we could after dinner, but were spent by 11pm. It was back to the resort to rest up for a final push towards Orlando domination!
Day 3
Time for early resort-guest hours at Hollywood Studios! Got there before the gates opened at 8am and went straight for the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. WOW. Great ride and we had no wait since we were some of the first people in line. It was definitely a coaster that needed a second ride, so we grabbed the Fast Pass and headed over to The Tower of Terror. Still, almost no line since families do not even bother to show up until 11am. Another great ride, but since we already had a Fast Pass for the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, we could not grab a Fast pass. So back to the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster to use our Fast Pass, then back to The Tower of Terror to grab a Fast Pass, and then off to explore the rest of the park. Do you see how mind-numbingly repetitive I am being with this Fast Pass talk? Good! Plan out how you are going to use those Fast Passes so that you maximize your Disney experience. After touring around the rest of the park and seeing what it had to offer, we used our Tower of Terror Fast Pass to get in one more ride before heading to our biggest surprise of the trip… Animal Kingdom! Animal Kingdom came out of nowhere to be one of our favorite Disney parks. After Hollywood Studios, we drove over to Animal Kingdom at noon to find that it had been infested with families. Yet the park did a great job of keeping the lines moving and due to our Fast Pass prowess, we avoided standing around as much we could. There are three rides you have to do at Animal Kingdom: Kilimanjaro Safaris, the Kali River Rapids, and Expedition Everest. While no coaster at any of the Disney parks surpassed how great some of Universal’s were, Expedition Everest was definitely one of the most unique coaster experiences we had. Check. It. Out.
Drained after three days of hustling around Orlando, we were able to grab a quick nap back at the resort. Then it was off to our 9pm dinner reservations at Epcot’s Japanese themed restaurant, Teppan Edo (third theme park of the day for those of you keeping count… now that is how you make the park hopper pass worth the price!) A fun, delicious way to end our whirlwind of an anniversary!
Final Thoughts
Are you as exhausted after reading all of this as we were after living it? Probably… and for that I apologize. But I hope you will be able to take advantage of our tips so that you can also dominate Orlando. Universal and Disney are not just for families with kids. If done right, they can be the perfect destination for the young couple looking for fun thrills. If you are heading to Orlando for a vacation and want some more tips, feel free to comment below or on Twitter and we will try to help. But if you want advice on the best rides, check back next week for my breakdown of the must-rides and must-skips at both Universal and Disney.
If you haven’t checked it out, you should really take a look at our rankings of the best rides at both Disney & Universal.
Your comments for both Disneyworld and Universal got to point of which rides to go on and how to use the hopper. Which stores did you go for souvenir shopping? Which disney resort is the least expensive.
We didn’t do much souvenir shopping… used most of our money for the rides and food. But definitely suggest staying at the cheapest disney resort you can… get all of the plusses like early park entries with little of the expense.
I did the Universal theme parks in 2 days. I bought a park to park for those two days as well. I considered buying the express pass but I’m glad I didn’t because a large portion of the lines have a “single riders only” lane. It worked just like the express lane and I was able to bypass the general admission lines. I was by myself so this was perfect. Although, I waited in line behind a group of moms and they said they didn’t need to go on rides as a group because its not as if you can talk to your friend anyway! You’re too involved in the ride for that.
Single riders definitely have it best at Universal with those single riders lines! Nicely done! Great tip for those debating whether or not to get the express pass… you can’t talk on the rides anyways so maybe it is best to go solo?
omg its been so long till i went here it was so awesome!!!
I feel like so many people underrate it… especially when they are older!
The wife and I are going to stay at Disney for 11 Days, I noticed you said Drive to Magic Mountain. We are flying from out of state and really thought a rental would be necessary for other parks, would it be better to get a rental even though we are in a disney resort?
Thanks for asking, Bob!
The bus system works pretty well at the resorts. The one thing you need to research though is how many stops there are. I’ve heard horror stories due to the fact that some resorts have a lot of stops. I know that at Port Orleans there is only one central stop so it is nice and quick.
The car is nice if you are trying to do multiple parks in one day and don’t want to wait in the long lines that pile up when trying to leave the park. But honestly, we used the bus a lot and it worked great. Just try not to take the bus if you want to stay until a park closes… those lines get crazy long then!
Bottom line: The car is nice for the freedom, but if you wanted to save the money, going by bus from the resorts is completely possible.
Enjoy your time at Disney!
-Tony
Hi Tony,
I enjoyed reading your article on dominating Orlando. You talked about using a backpack to carry things you’ll need for the day. My question is; what do you do with your backpack when your on the rides?
At Disney it’s easy… you can bring your bags with you! Only one Disney coaster went upside down (the aerosmith one) and they still let backpacks on. I always wondered how many backpacks must go flying out the sides of those coasters but it must not be an issue.
At Universal, where the coaster are more impressive, there are free lockers at the base of all the rides. They come with locks and everything!
Hope this helps!
Hi Tony,
I’m from Australia and going to visit The USA in sept 2013 for the first time. I have been reading your comments, and liking what I read. I will be visiting alone. Is there any other hints you can give me?
Dean
Are you going anywhere else besides Orlando?
For Orlando, I definitely recommend Universal. You can spend two days there easily if you really like roller coasters. Disney is fun but like I say, there are only a max of two good adult rides per park. If you’re feeling ambitious, you could probably ride the two best rides in each park 3-4 times in one day if you hustled.
One place we have never been, but heard it is fun, is Pleasure Island. That is the adult theme park at Disney. A lot of bars and clubs and is supposed to be a fun time at night. Maybe you can check that out and let us know what you think!
-Tony
Pleasure Island closed in 2008, it was a section of Downtown Disney that was mostly night clubs and bars. It was supposed to be revitalized and called Hyperion Wharf but the project was put on hold.
Thanks for letting me know, Wesley! It was something I had always read about but never knew the details. Too bad!
-Tony
Hey Dean,
Was just reading your comment to Tony. Wow Even I’m gonna be in USA in sept 2012 for the 1st time. Just the coincidence part. Have fun!
Thanks… This was quite helpful!!!
Great article! My fiancé and I are doing a 4 day stop over in Orlando before heading to St. Lucia for 7 nights for our honeymoon. Your article definitely gives me some great ideas as to how to organize our trip.
Any suggestions on how to lay out a 4 day trip? We will be there first week of August so I know we need to be ready for crowds and HEAT! We get into Orlando at 10:30am on day 1 so the earliest we could probably be to any park is 12-1pm I’m guessing. Oh, and I am also looking into the Wilderness Lodge since it is close to both MK and Epcot which are the two places we will not miss.
Thanks in advance for any tips!
Dave
I think there is a different park that is open late every day for anyone staying at a disney hotel… so definitely make sure to look that up and go to that one your first day since you’re starting late. Epcot is always good to go to late for the fireworks show and dinner….
We loved doing the early morning park visits and then napping in the hot afternoon before going back later to the parks for dinner. But that was us! Definitely carve out a day for Universal… they have the best rides.
You’ll be blown away by how empty the parks can be when they first open compared to 11am. We were able to ride the aerosmith coaster and the tower of terror 3x each within the first 1.5 hrs of getting into MGM.
Glad I was able to help and have a blast on your trip!
Planning to do the same as you with backpack however I was under the impression the parks would not allow you to take sandwiches in but you did,please clarify.
You’re allowed to bring a backpack in and we were not searched at the entrance… so it worked! They definitely don’t want you to do it though because they make a lot of money from the concessions!
Great question!
Thanks for the insight! My husband and I don’t have children and I’ve never been to any of the parks in Orlando. Good to hear it from a couple’s perspective!
Definitely worth a visit as a couple with no kids… you can actually do and see so much more!
I’ll be going to Universal for 3 days with my girlfriend during Memorial Day weekend. Any insight on the crowds and should I invest in an express pass or can I get buy on the majority of rides with the solo rider line? How many of the rides have solo rider lines?
On a holiday weekend the express pass might be worth it. There are about 30 rides between the 2 universal parks and you can find out the details here: http://www.orlandoinformer.com/universal/express-pass-access/
Only about 12 rides have solo rider lines between the Universal parks and you can see that list here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_rider#Universal_Parks_.26_Resorts
Make sure to get there before the park opens! It is going to get busy really fast!
Me and my girlfriend only have two days. Universal is a given (Harry Potter), but what about Disney? Some hard prioritizing has to happen. We’ll actually be there three days, but the first one we will arrive kinda late (16-ish), so it wouldn’t make much sense paying a park entrance fee for that.
Any tips?
Harry Potter is ALWAYS a given… haha at least if you’re married to my wife!
I always say to visit Hollywood Studios because the Tower of Terror and the Aerosmith roller coaster are fantastic. Rode each of those three times.
The other park you could visit in your one day might be animal kingdom. It had a super unique roller coaster that actually goes backwards for half the ride and a fake safari thing that is actually kind of cool.
I hope this helps and I added some more info below in case you’re staying at a disney hotel (get some great benefits)!
THE BELOW ADVICE ONLY WORKS IF STAYING AT A DISNEY AFFILIATED HOTEL
If you’re willing to hustle, you could visit three parks in one day. There is one park open late every day for people who are staying at a disney hotel. So schedule whatever park this is for last (if you’re staying at a disney hotel).
Then, if you’re staying at a disney hotel, you can also get into one park an hour earlier every day. This means you can ride your 3-4 rides without any lines.
Then the only trick is to suffer the crowds for the park you visit in the middle of the day.
Where can I purchase tickets for no-waiting (for rides)??? Do they sell them at the hotels??? we are staying at the Nickelodeon hotel.
Thanks for the question, Shannon!
For Disney Parks, you get tickets at the ride themselves. They have a time stamp on them and any time you show up after that time… you can get on the ride without waiting for one ride!
For Universal Orlando, the Universal website has express ticket information and a 2 park pass will set you back about $36.
Hope this helps!
My young adults(21 and 19)are going down to Orlando. Their trying to decide which park would be better for their ages and they want the roller coasters. Would Universal or Island of Adventure be best for them. They only have a couple of days but, they did not want to buy tickets for multiple parks.
Hi Debbie… thanks for writing in!
Tough call, but if it’s rides they want I would suggest Islands of Adventure. If they like the Harry Potter books/movies at all, the Harry Potter part of the park is a must. Has two awesome roller coasters that intertwine in just that section. The hulk coaster is also in Islands of adventure and a few other great rides.
I say tough call because my absolute favorite coaster of all time is in Universal Studios… Rip Ride Rocket. If they get in early, they could probably do all of Islands of adventure in one day. So if they want to rethink getting tickets for another park, I would definitely recommend they get into Universal Studios to try Rip Ride… so good.
Hope this helps!
-Tony
Im planning my one-yr aniversary to Disney and Universal. I’ll go from Dominican Republic, so cost efficient is a must. My question is: Can i select 4 days hotel, 2 days each, and then add the additionals tickets and hotel night at the same rate or it will be more expensive?
Great tips!
Hey Andy!
I’m not sure what you are asking. Are you looking to stay at 2 different Disney hotels over 4 nights?
Hey – Just wondering if you did any type of blog on where you stayed and tips on that?
Thank you so much for your articles and tips on must rides and orlando park domination!! My fiancee and I were very lucky to visit during the slow season, and we were able to do all of Universal in one day with the express passes. Disney was a bit tricky – I think we would have fit it all in one day if we had started on time… ahem… We missed Animal Kingdom but dominated everything else. Just wanted to thank you because your tactics helped us avoid waiting long lines for goober rides 😉 and fully enjoy our vacation together. Cheers!
So glad we could help and thank you so much for writing to let us know!
Animal Kingdom is probably the best one to miss. It’s pretty cool, but I would still rank the other parks as better… nicely done!
If you’re focused and have express passes like you did at universal, you can really do everything. So glad you were able to crush it!
Congrats on the engagement btw
-Tony
Hi Tony!! Im so happy to found this. I’m planning my trip for November (also to celebrate my 1st anniversary). For that season. Do you recommend me to rent a car or use the bus?? I will say for 6 nights at Disney resort ( w/free dinning package), the 4 day parks and .. (of course) Universal ans Island of adventure… If I the end I decided to rent a car, where I can do it??
Thanks in advance!!!
Hi Jenn!
As far as staying at a Disney resort and renting a car, you really don’t need it. All of the disney parks have buses (some even have train access) and they buses run very regularly so that you’re never waiting too long. We actually mainly used the buses to get to and from the disney parks so we didn’t have to deal with parking.
I’m not sure about getting to Universal without a car. There might be buses you can take or maybe even get a car rental for just that day.
Not sure about where to rent a car near the disney area though. Sorry I can’t help you there, but congrats on your 1st anniversary! We celebrated our 1st at Disney as well
Hi Tony,
I loved your insight on universal and disney parks!
I’m planning a trip sometime in Feb, (no kids) for 5 days and want to go to both universal and disney. Is it still better to stay on the disney resort?
Also did you get the disney dining plan? is it worth it? (or would it not be worth it for me because i will be at universal sometime during the stay)
If I were to get the disney dining plan, I would have the plan for the whole duration on my stay right? I cant choose just for the days in at disney..?
Thanks for your time!
Kay
There are a few different types of Disney resorts (some have better transportation, etc), but I personally would recommend it. Easy transportation by bus or train to the parks and you get early access to a different park every day and a late stay at a different park every night. The late stays are especially fun…
We didn’t do the Disney dining plan so I can’t speak to if it is worth it. We spent a day at Universal and ate a nice meal there and then tended to snack more at Disney. We also brought along snack bars and apples which saved us money and time spent standing in line at the food stalls.
Without kids, you can see a TON of the parks and even have time to go back to your favorite rides on your last day there. Enjoy your time and have fun!
Hi,
Me and my fiancé Neale want to go to orlando florida for a week, can you recommend a hotel within Disney world (preferably within Disney world or universal for the advantages) or close that would be good for couples with no kids….. Doesn’t really matter but just wondered if there was any more suitable! Really want to visit harry potter land!!!
Hope you can help
Thanks.
Alex.
I like to recommend staying at a Disney resort because you get early entrance access to a different park every morning and every night. Definitely makes a difference! Harry Potter land looks amazing and we haven’t been since they added the new stuff at Universal. You’re going to love it!
No specific recommendations for hotels without kids as it is hard to escape kids at Disney. But if you’re up early you will miss all of the crowds since the kids don’t get to the parks until 10am usually
Have fun and let us know how it goes!
What time of year would you suggest (for the least amount of kids) :o)
Ha! If you can handle it… going on a big family holiday usually means it is empty and almost no kids. But honestly, the kids don’t fill the parks until 10 so if you get into the parks first thing, you’ll get a bunch of rides in by yourself
Hi Tony,
Thanks for the great post! My partner and I are heading to Orlando and looking to spend a day at a theme park. Would you suggest we go to Universal or to Disney? We keen on riding some cool rides but also keen on some non-ride activities eg. Random characters walking around, things to see
Thanks! Lucy
Thanks for writing, Lucy!
If you only have a day and want to get as much in as possible… I would suggest Universal. Here’s why: Each Disney park has about 2 great rides per park with the rest being more for kids or not as fun. Universal has a TON of great roller coasters and rides plus some character interaction and “experience” rides. The Harry Potter section is awesome if you like Harry Potter
You can see multiple Disney parks in one day, but it’s a lot more hassle if you only have one day total to do everything.
I hope you and your partner enjoy your day in Orlando and be sure to write back letting me know how it goes!
Hi Tony,
Great article for those of us without kids. My husband and I are planning a week-long trip to Orlando this coming January (Late honeymoon on our second Anniversary). Originally we were planning to stay off site, but now we are leaning towards a Disney hotel. How did you two get to Universal and what was the cost?
Hi Diane!
We were living in Miami at the time and drove to Orlando, so we just drove from our Disney hotel to Universal for the day. There were Florida resident discounts we were able to receive, but if you google “universal orlando discounts” you can usually find discounted tickets as well. With tickets, lunch, and a nice dinner at universal, I think we spent around $200 for the day.
I definitely recommend staying at a Disney hotel. Being able to have early access to a different park every morning and a different park every night really adds to the fun of Disney. Plus, you get to go on the rides with almost zero lines!
Happy anniversary by the way!!!
we are planning a 4 day disney (one day for each park), 2 day universal trip (one day for each park)…i’m a HUGE harry potter fan so I cannot miss any precious time there. every day adds a lot more expense so i’d like to cut down if possible, however, i don’t want to be so exhausted i don’t enjoy it and i don’t want to miss anything. can you tell me, based off of your trip itinerary, do you feel like you missed out on anything, if so, what? if you had extra time, where would you have delighted that? with our current 6 day plan, do you think we would actually be bored at any point? i heard magic kingdom was a dud, so i figured i’d do it last, and use the last half of that day to go back to what we really liked.
Hi Brittney!
TOTALLY get the Harry Potter thing… my wife is obsessed as well
Spending a day just there makes total sense and I’m jealous!
For me, every Disney park as at least 2 rides that are worth it. Magic Kingdom has Space Mountain which is one of my favorites, but also has a little nostalgia from when I went when I was younger. Are you traveling with children? If you aren’t, you can be first at every park and really move around fast. If you stay at a Disney hotel, you also get early and late access to a different park every day so you can avoid the crowds.
If you do the Disney hotel route, you can really see all of the disney parks in two days by leveraging the early/late access. Just depends how much running around you want to do!
Let me know if that helps!
-Tony
Hi,
I just wanted to know if you think getting a year pass will be worth it for universal and add the express to it? we’re planning on doing universal for 2-3 days and lastly disney for the kids to have more fun…. We’re more interested in Universal tho, and I wanna know if you think adding the express to the yearly pass is worth it.
Thanks & I love your blog!
Thanks Naynay!
It really is a matter of personal preference. As far as getting the year pass goes, you should be able to break down the cost of day passes vs the annual pass. But adding the express pass is all about how much you hate lines. If you’re going during a busy time (it’s always busy so this is just a matter of degree), the lines can really take awhile. Watch out though as last I checked, the express don’t work at every ride. If you want to check out Harry Potter stuff, I think the express passes are excluded…
Would love to hear what you decide to do and how it goes!
-Tony
Hey Tony, my girlfriend and i will be visiting Universal Orlando and Disneys Magic Kingdom in March. I wanted to take her out to a nice restaurant in Universal and Magic Kingdom, however we will be taking the shuttle to Disney so we cant go back and forth to change. What are some restaurants that you can recommend? For Universal we wont have a problem dressing up because our hotel is a 20 minute walk but Disney is far.
I personally am a big fan of epcot and all of the international restaurants it has. It’s a really fun time walking around and exploring what would be the best dinner. I always love the hibachi grill at the Japanese restaurant… I can’t resist it:)
Dress code really isn’t an issue at any of the Disney restaurants because they know they are catering to people who have been at the park all day.
At Universal, we really enjoyed Emeril’s restaurant. We dressed up for it, but again, there isn’t a super strict dress code. Definitely a bit fancier feeling though than any of the Disney restaurants.
Have a great time!
Hi, Tony, excellent info! Thanks for sharing. I’m wondering how you would rate the 4 disney parks and why. My husband and I can’t decide if we want to hit all 4 or just 2 or 3 that are the most amazing. We would probably spend 1 day per park (or less if it’s not that great). Thanks!
Hi Paige!
My personal opinion is that most disney parks have two adult rides each. You could say 3-4 if you want to expand it to include rides like the teacups and such. Not saying that you can’t enjoy the more younger rides like the flying dumbos, but they aren’t super thrilling
Magic Kingdom has the least stuff for adults, but I’m a sucker for space mountain and splash mountain. I rode space mountain 5 times in a row! If you get there early there are usually few or no lines.
Epcot is great at night. If you are staying at a disney hotel, you should be able to stay late there one night and see their fireworks show (amazing) and grab dinner at one of the country themed restaurants.
Hollywood Studios had the most, in my opinion. The Rock N’ Roller Coaster was by FAR the best ride at Disney. Really awesome roller coaster and the tower of terror is always a highlight. Plus Hollywood Studios has some fun shows to check out as well.
Animal Kingdom was a big surprise. The expedition everest coaster was really unique and the animal safari was fun as well.
i definitely think you can do 1 or 2 parks in a day if you take advantage of the late park openings (for hotel guests).
Have a great time!
-Tony
Hi Tony!
My husband and I are planning to visit both Disney World and Universal Orlando late April, but we are undecided how many days we should spend at each park. We will be in Orlando for eight days but two of those days will be traveling days so we have six days to spend at the parks. We last visited Disney about 7 years ago and I’ve never been to Universal studios and am obsessed with Harry Potter. Do you think four days at Disney and two days at Universal studios is plenty of time to see everything? Or should we do three days at Disney and three days at Universal Studios? Any helpful tips would be great! Thanks!
Hi Marylyn!
What a fun trip! I found that Disney had between 2-3 “adult” rides at each of its parks. There are other rides which are nostalgic (like the dumbo ride), but not a lot with thrills. If you are staying at a disney hotel, you also are allowed into one park per day an hour early (it rotates on a schedule) and one park per day late. If you take advantage of this, you can easily hit two parks a day and see everything you want, or take it a bit slower and make 3 days the perfect amount.
We found that while getting to the parks at Disney right when they opened allowed us to get a bunch of rides in before lines formed, Universal was a lot more crowded. If you’re a fan of Universal’s roller coasters, I would definitely suggest getting three days there so you can get it all in!
Hope this helps and have a great time!
-Tony
Hello ! I’m planning a trip to Orlando with my family and i’m a big fan of both amusement parks ( Harry Potter & Disney ) I was just wondering how many days would you think would be enough to really see everything and go on the rides ? As i don’t plan to rush through the parks. We haven’t booked tickets yet so the number of days to spend there are going to be based on how many days we actually need.
Thank you !
Universal (which has harry potter) is probably at least one day and maybe two. You could probably do two Disney parks per day and not feel too rushed, especially if you stay at a Disney resort and get to go to the late night park openings reserved for hotel guests.
Universal has the best roller coasters, so if you love coasters, definitely plan to spend a half or full day at harry potter (since you’re a fan) and then another full day on the roller coasters.
Does that help? I would think 5 days would be enough and you wouldn’t feel rushed
Hi,
We are planning a 3 day-trip to Orlando (22 year-old couple) end of this September. This is my 1st time. We love thrill rides but still want to Disney since I’ve been there and we already booked a non-disney hotel since that hotel is our company’s partner.
How do you think we should spend our time there to explore as much as we can? Do you have any suggestions for which is the best in each theme park? Do I need to buy the fast pass for Universal/Disney?
Thank you so much.
Whenever you visit Orlando, you can make your tour more exciting by getting a ride in limo from your hotel room to Disney World. If you are searching for the best limo rental company in Orlando, you should go with Backstage Limousine.
Loved your reviews! My boyfriend and I will be traveling to Disney in May for his 30th birthday. I was insistent we would need some nap time and loved that you included it as well!
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Just wanted to say a big thank you for your tips and advice. I have a question, we will be in Orlando at the end of November 2016 (as part of our honeymoon) and wondered what season this is regarding how busy the parks will be (high?, Low?…etc) Or when is the best time to go regarding the crowds?
Hey!
My husband and I are heading to Tampa with some friends in two weeks for spring break. We are only there for 5 days and I really want to go to either Disney World or Universal Studios while we are there! No one else wants to come with my husband and I but we want to go for at least one day. I know one day is not enough to cover even one park but we want to do something fun! Out of Disney World or Universal, which one would you recommend for a one day trip?
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