I know I’ve already ruffled some feathers with my opinion of which Orlando theme parks are better for families, but hear me out. Yes, Disney holds a special place in my heart. I have countless fond memories of watching classic Disney movies as a kid like Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, and many others. However, it is also true that I have a few favorite childhood movies that have nothing to do with Disney.
Here is a shortlist of some of the Universal characters that will tug at your memories:
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- Jurassic Park
- Popeye & Olive Oyl
- ET
- The Simpsons
- Dr. Seuss
- Back to the Future
- The Mummy
- Scooby Doo
- Jaws
- Despicable Me and the Minions
- Woody Woodpecker
- Men in Black
Is Universal Studios Florida Better than Disney World
Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about which theme park is better for families. When it comes to making the decision of whether or not Universal Studios is better than Disney for your family, there are a few key factors to consider. Here are a few key reasons why I believe Universal is a better option for families. Here are five of them:
- More Variety of Activities for Kids of All Ages
- More Thrilling Rides for Teens and Adults
- Better Child Swap Program
- Better Value for Families
- More “Magical” Experiences (Harry Potter)
Reasons to Plan a Trip to Universal Parks in Orlando
One of the great things about Universal Studios Orlando and Islands of Adventure is that there is something for everyone in your family. While Disney World does have a few more rides, Universal offers more variety when it comes to activities, a great selection of thrill rides for teens and adults, a better child swap program, and better overall value. See this guide to Universal Orlando for all the details to help you plan a trip.
Activities for Younger Kids
There’s More For Them To Do Than You Think – Universal attractions are known for their bigger thrill rides. What is less well known, is that many sections of Universal are dedicated to smaller children and families. There is so much for your little ones to do, and so many great characters for your kids to meet.
A few of the characters you can see at Universal are:
- Scooby-Doo & the Gang
- Kung Fu Panda & Tigress
- Hello Kitty
- Curious George
- Poppy & Branch from Trolls
- King Julien from Madagascar
- Shrek & Donkey
- Dr. Seuss & The Lorax
Best Universal Attractions for Younger Children
Explore Dr. Seuss Land, the Woody Woodpecker Kids Zone, the Jurassic Park Discovery Center, Camp Jurassic, Toon Lagoon Games, and so much more! Universal Orlando is packed full of incredible rides, games, and character encounters that are just for your little ones.
You can visit the Velociraptor Nursery and x-ray their eggs at the Jurassic Park Discovery Center. Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster has just the right amount of thrill for tiny ones. Let your kids loose in Fievel’s Playland, Curious George Goes to Town, If I Ran the Zoo or Camp Jurassic and you might not see them for hours.
Pop over to Dreamworks Destination and dance and play with popular Dreamworks characters from shows like Trolls, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda. The party is always going and they bring new characters out every 20 minutes.
Don’t even get me started on Seuss Landing, or attractions like Minion Mayhem and Shrek 4D! To keep this long story short, you can count on your little kids having as much fun as your big kids at Universal Orlando Resort.
That is a lot of variety for little kids and big kids!
For Teens and Adults – Universal Does Thrill Rides Best
Keep Your Whole Family Entertained – Remember those bigger thrill rides I mentioned earlier? This is where Universal shines. Let’s be clear, there are no rides at Universal Orlando that compare to Splash Mountain or Expedition Everest. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some pretty intense thrill rides at the park.
Best Universal Roller Coasters
My favorite heart-pounding roller coasters are The Mummy, Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure, and The VelociCoaster. You are guaranteed to need to catch your breath after any of those rides. You also can’t forget about The Hulk and the Rip Ride Rockit roller coasters either. My middle schoolers begged us to get back in line for that one again and again.
There are also coasters that offer a little less thrill like Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Hollywood Dream, and Doctor Doom’s Fearfall. If your kids aren’t quite ready for the big kahunas of Universal Orlando’s roller coaster lineup yet, go straight to the Harry Potter rides. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is pure magic.
Make sure you challenge your kids to the Men in Black Alien Attack ride to see who comes out with the highest score. We never miss watching the Bourne Stuntacular, and I can’t recommend the Horror Makeup Show enough. Beetlejuice is the perfect opener, and it’s mesmerizing to see how the horror genre has evolved. Your big kids won’t be the only ones having a great time.
Universal’s Child Swap Program
I L-O-V-E the way Universal does child swap for their faster roller coasters. Child Swap is their program where adults can alternate who takes the older kids on a ride and who waits with the young children who might not want to go on or not meet the height requirements for the ride.
At Universal, your whole family gets to go through the line together. That way everyone gets to experience the incredible detail and fantasy of the ride queues. Once you get to the front of the line, there is a family room off to the side to wait in. While the first group goes on the ride the waiting adult(s) can rest easy because each room will have a movie or toys to help keep your kids occupied. Once the ride is over it’s an easy swap because you are all right there at the front of the line.
Save Hundreds on Ticket Prices, Parking, and Hotels
Disney World and Universal Orlando prices are pretty even when it comes to food and parking. Although, once you take a look at the hotel and ticket prices, you won’t have any doubts about which theme park is the better value. According to the State of Florida website, a 3-day Park-to-Park ticket is $100+ more per person at Disney.
Disney 4 Parks in 1 Ticket
Now to be fair the Disney ticket price does include all 4 parks (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot), while the Universal price only includes their 2 parks (Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure).
The reason this doesn’t bother me is that I think you’d be hard-pressed to visit 3 Disney parks in one day, let alone 4. Disney Parks and the Disney property as a whole are all so spread out that getting between them is quite an ordeal and then there is the time you spend commuting.
Universal Resort
Universal, on the other hand, has one parking lot for its two main parks and both parks are right next to each other. You can either take The Hogwarts Express (yes please!) to go back and forth between parks, or you can walk from one park entrance to the other in less than 10 minutes.
The biggest price difference you’ll see between Disney and Universal, in my opinion, is between their hotels. When comparing both park’s nicer hotels together and their value hotels together, Universal tends to have the better price most often Disney hotels.
Not to mention that Universal’s luxury hotels include the added perk of free Unlimited Express Passes for each person staying at the hotel for each day they stay there. Right now a 2 park Unlimited Express Pass costs $119.99 per person, per day.
Imagine you are staying at a Universal luxury hotel like the Hard Rock Hotel with your spouse and 2 kids for 3 nights. With some quick math, you can see that you’ll get over $1000.00 in Express Passes free!
Vacation Packages
Another way to save is to book with Orlando Vacation package. They can help customize your plans, and offer specials and discounts not widely known to the public. Check out their Universal Orlando Vacation packages here or call them at 1-800-641-4008.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
No Imperius Curse needed as my last reason needs no explanation, but I’ll give it to you anyways. Even if you’re not a Potter fan (and if you’re not, you should be), you will have to admit that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is incredibly well done. I could spend hours just walking around Hogsmead and Diagon Alley, without riding one roller coaster. It’s like being transported directly into the movies.
Sip your frozen Butterbeer as you watch The Tales of Beedle the Bard or shop around in Zonkos and Weasley Wizard Wheezes. Mail a postcard to a friend from the Owl Post shop, and then visit Moaning Myrtle in the bathroom.
Buy an interactive wand and practice your spellwork all over town, or just ask the wizards and witches working there to show you some magic. Visit the Menagerie to see Nagini the snake, or just wait to watch the dragon blow fire from the top of Gringotts. I dare you to be bored in Potter land.
5 Reasons Families Should Plan a Vacation to Universal Studios Orlando Instead of Disney World
I’m hopeful that even the most die-hard Disney fan will at least consider a visit to Universal Orlando now that you’ve let me make my case. You can thank me later. For more on the park, read my article on what to do at Universal Orlando with Kids. It is filled with tips and some of my favorite things you won’t want to miss.
As you can see, there are many reasons to consider a visit to Universal Orlando. Between the great ticket prices, close proximity of the parks, amazing Harry Potter world, and free unlimited Express Passes for guests of their luxury hotels, it’s hard to resist.
Do you have any other reasons to add? Leave them in the comments below!
About the author
Candice Tuttle is a family travel and finance lifestyle blogger who loves to travel with her 4 kids and husband. She loves to write about her travels and to share her stories, tips, and tricks to help other families have amazing vacations, and hopefully do it all within a budget. You can read more of her work and travels on her website, CasuallyCandice.com.
I disagree completely. Was very disappointed in Universal period. It’s sub par to Disney on all levels. Granted, Disney is overpriced to the max, but Universal can’t compete with Disney for overall family experience.
I wholly agree. Universal is way better than Disneyworld. We found Disneyworld daunting and found little magic. The parks at Disneyworld are over crowded with people, Disney staff are angry, rides breakdown often super frustrating to wait 2 hours in line to be told the ride is down, and this happened everyday at Disneyworld.
Universal studios is much more entertaining. The park was not as crowded and the rides are WAY better. Harry Potter is unmatched, maybe Starwars being its biggest rival, still subpar with breakdowns and line wait times. Disney took away fast passes and offered a paid service genie + service. We were only able to book one genie + due to large crowds each day . We paid $15 more each ticket for one ride. I much prefer Universal’s fast pass system.
Universal Studios in my book is a better deal and way more fun.