When looking at Walt Disney World vs Universal Studios Florida the question for most people can often be which resort to spend the most time at. Most families planning a vacation to Florida are limited to how much time they can spend at certain resorts, Orlando theme parks and costs can be a big factor too.
If you are considering picking one destination over the other or perhaps planning to visit both but wondering if you can get full value from doing so? Take a look below as I guide you through an overview comparison of Universal Studios vs Disney World.
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1. Theme Park Ticket Prices – Universal Studios Vs Disney World
Ticket prices for both Disney World and Universal theme parks can vary throughout the calendar year. My recommendation would be to first work out when you plan to visit Orlando Florida and then visit the official websites for Disney World and Universal Studios to work out the costs that are bespoke to your vacation dates.
Do be aware that offers come and go throughout the year. Disney World will offer free Dining (with the Dining Plan) and if you stay at a Universal Deluxe resort such as Hard Rock Hotel you will benefit from getting Universal Express Passes to get on the attractions faster inside their theme parks.
There are benefits from staying at both Disney World and Universal Studios Resorts depending on which one you choose.
Theme Parks Ticket Price Winner – A Draw
This one will be down to you and what offers and discounts you can find. However in the past we have found Universal Park tickets to be cheaper than Disney World but it isn’t really a fair comparison as Disney has more parks.
You can look at ticket prices for Universal on their website here.
You can look at ticket prices for Disney World on their website here.
2. Walt Disney World Resort vs Universal Orlando Resort – The Theme Parks
Disney World Has Four Theme Parks:
Magic Kingdom
Epcot
Plus, two water parks:
Blizzard Beach
Typhoon Lagoon
You can get our free Disney World Parks Guide here.
Universal Orlando Resort Has Two Theme Parks:
Universal Studios
Islands of Adventure
Plus, One Water Park:
Volcano Bay
The Theme Parks Winner – Disney World
I’m going to put Walt Disney World as the winner over the Universal Parks purely because there are more parks on Disney property. However, do remember that Universal Studios Florida is more of an action park and it clearly wins over the Disney parks when it comes to action and thrills.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is also a very different theme park offering a lot of different animal based experiences that Universal just doesn’t offer park guests.
The Disney World parks are more magical and nostalgic (especially Magic Kingdom).
Here you can find the Disney World Park Maps and Universal Maps.
3. Walt Disney World vs Universal Orlando – Shopping Districts
Each resort has its own shopping and dining districts:
Disney World has Disney Springs
Universal Orlando Resort has Universal City Walk
Both offer retail and dining options but Disney Springs is much larger than City Walk with a wider variety of both retail outlets and restaurants. You can easily spend a day at Disney Springs. Both offer venues with evening entertainment too.
The Shopping District Winner – Disney Springs
Our preference between the two is Disney Springs it is a really nice location with a wide variety of retail stores and some great restaurants too. One of our favorite restaurants here is Chef Art Smiths Homecomin.
Read this article if you are planning to do both Disney and Universal.
4. Disney World vs Universal Orlando – The Resorts
Disney World is a lot larger than Universal Orlando resort. You will find everything at Universal Studios resort is quite close with resorts and the parks being very close to each other.
Disney World covers nearly 40 square miles with road networks, river networks and of course the monorail along with the Sky Liner linking to parks and resorts. Disney World is definitely a lot bigger when it comes to the land it covers although a lot of Disney’s land is yet to be filled.
The Resorts Winner – A Draw
We are going to call this one a draw because both Disney World and Universal have wonderful resorts. Yes Disney has a lot more choice however Universal maintains a high standard of accommodation to offer you on your vacation too.
5. Disney World vs Universal Orlando – The Characters
Disney World is all about the Disney Characters along with all your Pixar favorites. Over the last few years however Star Wars has become a big part of Hollywood Studios and Marvel’s The Guardians of the Galaxy have also started making appearances too.
Expect to meet classic Disney characters like Minnie and Minnie at Magic Kingdom along with Disney Princesses and Star Wars characters like BB8, Chewbacca and Kylo Ren at Hollywood Studios.
At Universal Orlando you can meet Jurassic World raptors, Marvel Super Heroes (due a very complicated licencing agreement that goes back to the 1990’s), Transformers and Minions. You can also meet a host of characters from Movies like BeetleJuice, Doc from Back to the Future and the Night Bus Driver from Harry Potter. There is also the Simpsons characters too.
The Characters Winner – Walt Disney World
At both resorts there are some great characters to see and meet and it is hard to pick between the two other than saying Disney is probably the clear winner when it comes to younger children. Universal has some cool movie themed characters to meet which I really liked. However the character experiences and interactions to me seem to be more memorable at Disney World.
6. Disney World vs Universal Orlando- The Rides
Universal has all the thrill rides and a lot of rides featuring screen technology along with other modern ride techniques. Disney World has a good selection of thrill rides spread across its four parks but the reputation for big roller coasters clearly falls with Universal.
For classic dark rides Disney is the place to be with rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and Peter Pan’s Flight to name just a few. There is also fantastic newer rides like Avatar Flight of Passage and the new Toy Story and Star Wars attractions.
At Universal you will find the Harry Potter rides as well as Marvel attractions like Hulk and the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.
You can read more about Disney World Rides & Attractions here.
The Theme Parks Rides Winner – A Draw
I would personally say Disney World has better rides for pre teens and younger children with Universal providing great rides for teens and adults, although there are also family friendly rides.
For this reason I am calling this a draw. Again Disney has more rides and attractions but both resorts have something different to offer and it would be unfair in my opinion to pick one over the other.
7. Disney World Genie Plus vs Universal Express Pass
Wait times for rides at both resorts can vary depending on various factors such as the time of year or even the time of day. Disney no longer offer FastPass+ and have replaced it with the new Disney Genie App that launches in Fall 2021.
Both Services at each resort are now paid extras.
At Universal you can purchase Express Passes in addition to your park ticket to get access to each express line for all the rides and attractions in the parks. Pass prices vary depending on the time of year but the price range can vary from $40 per day per person for a one park ticket upto around $150 for multi park tickets. We have used Express Passes and they enabled to get on all the rides with ease.
Disney World Genie vs Express Pass Winner – Disney
We have to go with Disney purely because it is launching at a cheaper cost compared to the Express Pass prices at Universal. The Express Pass system I feel works better once purchased but that’s the point you are paying more. Yes it is beneficial to pay for the Express Pass but that adds additional costs to your vacation budget.
Bonus Express Pass Tip
When we used Express Passes at Universal we actually found it cheaper to book a room package at Hard Rock Hotel (one night stay with two days in the parks). The overall cost was cheaper than paying for park tickets and Express Passes.
8. Disney World vs Universal Orlando – Other Things to Consider
The Location of Each Resort
Disney as I mentioned above is a large resort covering many square miles and is located outside of Orlando whereas Universal Resort is located in Orlando and closer to everything else it has to offer . If you wanted to be close to what Orlando has to offer then Universal’s resorts are a great location.
You can read our article How Far is Universal Studios from Disney World Here or by clicking the image below.
The Crowds
Crowds at both Disney World and Universal can get very busy at certain times of year. During holiday periods both resorts will be busier along with peak times during the summer months. More than likely if it’s busy at Disney it will also be busy at Universal.
New attractions will probably pull large crowds to one resort though that may make the other less busy especially on the opening day of a new big ticket attraction.
Time Required at Each Resort
I would say that you can easily see an do everything at Universal Resort Orlando within a week (possibly 4 to 5 days). Disney World is different due to its size and the wide variety of things to see and do. I would say at least 10 days is required to really enjoy Disney World but my family’s preference is 2 weeks.
Which is Best for Kids?
As I mentioned before Disney World is better for younger children and pre teens. There are thrill rides but the majority of rides are available for younger children to enjoy.
What about Teenagers?
Universal is the resort for Teenagers there are bigger thrill rides to enjoy and the movie properties that feature throughout the parks are a better fit for teenage and adult enjoyment.
9. Which is the Most Magical?
For us Disney World is definitely the most Magical. Disney has the edge on producing magical moments, the cast members enhance this experience and the classic characters take people of all ages back to their childhoods.
Universal is a lot of fun and the theme park staff are good but I don’t find them to be up to high standard that Disney offers overall yet.
10. My Thoughts on Disney World vs Universal Orlando
Both are great resorts that offer similar but very different experiences. If you can do both then great but if not and you want a magical experience go for Disney World. If you want thrills and a slightly more in your face experience go to Universal.
Universal Seemed Louder
To me Universal always seems a louder experience especially as the day goes on. Islands of Adventure does come across as a louder park especially around the Marvel area. On my first afternoon there having been in the park all day I did think to myself “wow this area is loud compared to Disney” with the noise of the rides like Hulk and Dr Doom and loud music playing. That’s not a bad thing but it was a different experience. Again probably one teenagers would love.
Disney World Vs Universal Studios Conclusion
Both Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World are so much fun and during an ideal Florida Vacation I would want to do both. I would spend more time at Disney World and around 5 days at Universal to enjoy both parks and Volcano Bay.
Our preference is always Disney World as overall I think it is more magical and fun experience however Universal is great for families with older children in their teens.
My advice would be try to do both if you have the budget and time to do so. Allow more time for Disney World and if possible get Express Passes for the Universal parks.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Darren
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