Are you planning to visit Universal during your vacation at Walt Disney World? Many families want to visit both and are two of the most popular destinations for tourists spending their vacations in Orlando Florida. So, how far is Universal from Disney World if you want to travel between the two on your next vacation?
How Far is Universal From Disney World?
Disney World and Universal Studios located just 9 miles apart in Orlando. When driving the most direct route, the travel time is typically between 15 to 20 minutes, depending on traffic conditions. Given their proximity, visitors can easily and conveniently plan to experience both destinations during their stay.
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5 Ways get to Universal from Disney World
If you are staying at Walt Disney World you have a few options to get to Universal Studios. It is really pretty easy to get to Universal Studios from Disney World. Below you will find some of the transport options you can use to get to Universal Studios.
1. Public Transport
I am not going to go into detail with regards to public transport as it is not worth considering. You are on vacation and want an easy way to get between Disney World and Universal Studios and this isn’t that option. It is time consuming and a little complicated so let’s write this option off right now.
2. Mears Taxi
We have used a Mears Taxi to travel from Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort to Universal Studios. We booked the taxi the night before and Mears where waiting for us the next morning outside of our resort room block in the Barbados area of the resort. It was easy to book and cost around $45 to get there.
We were dropped off at Hard Rock Hotel (we stayed there for one night as we got Express Park tickets included which worked out as a good deal for us) and it did take roughly 20 minutes. We took the journey early in the morning so that we had enough time to check in at our hotel and were at the parks for the extra park hours that are offered to guests (we got in an hour before normal park opening hours).
3. Uber or Lyft
You can of course use Uber or Lyft services as well. Most drivers in Orlando seem to work for both services so it can be best to have both Apps on your phone so that you can work out which will be the best price. These services do tend to be more competitively priced compared to Mears as you might expect.
4. Shuttle
Mears also provide shuttle services that will usually be shared with other guests. This is service needs to be booked and you could be picked up in a van or bus to get you to and from Universal. Mears charge per person with charges around $21 per person. Do be aware though that the Shuttle service may stop at other locations such as Sea World (and other locations) before Universal so it isn’t necessarily a direct journey.
Also, we have read about cases where people have had to wait a while for their shuttle to pick them up to get back to Disney World.
5. Rent a Car
Of course, you can rent a car if you want complete control of your journey from Disney World to Universal Studios. Costs may vary and it might be cheaper to get this included overall in your vacation package when you first book with your travel agent. I personally don’t rent a car for our Disney World Vacations as it is a luxury for me to not have to drive when on vacation. You could go for a short-term rental if required but costs with parking charges may start to favour the previous listed transport options.
Our Recommendation
Our personal preference would be to go with a Taxi or Uber/Lyft. You have more control and the service you are paying for is just for your family/party. Also be aware that if like us you do end up staying at a Universal Resort like Hard Rock Hotel then some of these hotels have their own cars that can return you to Disney World. We used the Hard Rock Hotel car service to get back to Caribbean Beach Resort and it was a little cheaper than Mears but the car itself was a lot nicer to ride in.
If you would like to see some of our Disney World Transportation Tips, then you can find them here.
If you are currently planning a Disney World or Florida vacation then these links may be helpful:
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