Will I be Disappointed?

[mini_princessx2]

So we have been to Orlando 4 times in the last 8 years and each time we have stayed Onsite at Disney with Dining, flown direct.

We have never been to Universal

This year to save money we are going indirect Staying at Cabana Bay Universal and only doing Universal Parks... no dining etc.
Will we be dissapointed?

We are a Family of 6, 4 children ages 11,9,7,5

[Claudette]

I think that is somewhat unanswerable, as we all like different things, do you have any Harry Potter fans in the family? To me the change sounds good, although your youngest might be too short for some things.

[duchy]

Not Universal but DC , SW, Aquatica and BG .
We stayed on I Drive for a week (by comparison we had stayed at BWI the trip before and done only Disney.
We loved it ! Minimal planning , most days we decided where we were going on the day, no lines, we ate when are where we wanted and plenty to do. We didn’t miss Disney at all , I thought I might but not a twinge honestly . I think had we done DS though I might, we just treated I Drive as an entirely different destination , the fact they were close wasn’t on our radar.
Just Universal probably isn’t enough for two weeks though if it’s “all about the rides”
We had DC with the three Sw parks included (with free parking which basically paid for the tickets themselves )
It’s different , will you miss Disney ? That’s a harder question , you might but a lot depends on your mindset . If you approach it as a holiday in itself rather than a compromise because Disney is too expensive you will probably enjoy the differences rather than make endless comparisons.

[lizzie145]

i love universal, it is the same but very different!

You don't need to plan as much but do take advantage of being nearly onsite and get into the parks asap and then go back for a swim and rest in the afternoon.
They have some great shows - blues brothers and horror makeup show for example. Their parades arent as good but worth watching.

Food options are great in both parks and city walk and there are some dining plans that may be an option as you don't all need one.

If they are fans of HP then spend time in there as so many things to see and do, and if you are in early then it can be almost empty for photos.

the new ride may be open which looks awesome

I havent done volcano bay but people say it is one of the best water parks

[shack69]

As you can walk from cabana bay to Volcano bay I think that localization they will love. Plus the 2 pool areas at the hotel both have good feelings. Having the flexibility on food I think is better and lots of choice in the parks or city walks.

[Moorlandman]

Originally Posted by mini_princessx2

This year to save money we are going indirect Staying at Cabana Bay Universal and only doing Universal Parks... no dining etc.
Will we be dissapointed?

See more...

Possibly. Cabana Bay is great but I wouldn't fancy staying longer than 7 nights personally. Food options are average and quite pricey especially if you have fussy children.

The 3 parks can be done in 3 days too where with Disney you have a minimum of 6 parks to entertain you over two weeks.

Disney feels more of a resort compared to Universal and there is far more things to do after 6pm at Disney than Universal.

[dismamx2]

I wouldn't call it 'disappointing' but it is a different kind of holiday and can be enjoyed as much (if not more for some people). 2 weeks just for Universal can get a bit much so maybe look at Seaworld parks also or plan a couple of day trips if you have a car. To get a Disney fix spend a day resort hopping and/or visit Disney Springs.

Your kids ages are perfect for a Cabana Bay stay with Volcano Bay a couple of minutes away.

Don't worry about flying indirect, we do it a lot and treat it as part of the holiday. happy planning

[lizzie145]

Originally Posted by Moorlandman

Possibly. Cabana Bay is great but I wouldn't fancy staying longer than 7 nights personally. Food options are average and quite pricey especially if you have fussy children.

The 3 parks can be done in 3 days too where with Disney you have a minimum of 6 parks to entertain you over two weeks.

Disney feels more of a resort compared to Universal and there is far more things to do after 6pm at Disney than Universal.

See more...

im not sure that the 3 parks can be done in 3 days - perhaps the surface can be scratched but to do them fully takes a lot longer.
Unless you are only doing each ride once and jumping past all the shops.

The HP areas in done in depth would take a day on their own as each shop has so much to see

[teamsingo134]

Yes majorly disappointed. Sign your ticket over to me, and I'll go and send you daily videos.

Then you can decide if you would have been disappointed from the videos. Much better than risking it to be fair.

As a special favour to a fellow dibb member, I'll take my own spending money so you will save a few bob too!

[princess allie]

We stayed at Cabana Bay a couple of years ago, it’s a nice hotel and the pools are great, you can buy the big rings to use in the lazy river and they blow them up for you. I think you will enjoy Universal, but I’m not sure that on its own is enough for a two week holiday. We skipped Disney one year, we bought Universal annual passes and SeaWorld tickets. So we spent some days at SeaWorld and also went to Busch Gardens and had a couple of days at St Pete Beach. The following year, we went to Universal first and got the last few days of use out of our annual passes. If you are planning to return the following year the annual passes, if times right can be great value. You do need to check blackout dates and when you will first use them to make sure you can use them the following year. The annual passes are not much more than the 14 day tickets.