First timer!

[mrslfc]

Hi

We are planning our first and last trip, I know everyone says you will go back but for us this will not be possible so we want to do as much as we can, Disney and Universal.

We are going for 2 weeks in Aug 2020 and I am trying to start on an itinerary but its all a bit overwhelming and not sure where to start!

What are your must do/must sees? It is me, my DH and my DS (12)

Thanks

[Custancia]

If you are just doing one trip, 2 weeks, you will need to accept that you won’t be able to do it all. But you can definitely prioritise to make the most of your time there, and also make best use of your time to do as much as possible.
Are you staying off-site or on-site at either Disney or Universal?
If onsite at Disney there are usually some magic hours to extend the day and get more done whilst it is a bit quieter, Similarly Universal in many resorts you can get free Front of Line passes.
Whether onsite or offsite at Disney be sure to make good use of FastPasses.
Are you big Star Wars fans, or Harry Potter fans, or thrill/coaster rides people? What you enjoy will help shape your itinerary to really make it a oncein a lifetime holiday for you.

[Andi]

If you want to cover Disney and Universal is there any chance you could stay for 3 weeks? I find that flights are the same price so the extra would be for accommodation and food.

If you are staying on Disney property you will be able to book fast passes 60 in advance but if staying off-site its 30 days out.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by mrslfc

Hi

We are planning our first and last trip, I know everyone says you will go back but for us this will not be possible so we want to do as much as we can, Disney and Universal.

We are going for 2 weeks in Aug 2020 and I am trying to start on an itinerary but its all a bit overwhelming and not sure where to start!

What are your must do/must sees? It is me, my DH and my DS (12)

Thanks

See more...

On the Dibb people make frequent trips to Florida as this is who the forum is for. In real life, I know many people that have been to Disney but nobody that has, or wants, to go back again. It is entirely possible you will be one of those people.

If I were only going once I would only do Disney and Universal and would not try to squeeze in Seaworld, Discovery Cove etc. A day trip to Kennedy Space Centre might be worth considering, we were rather underwhelmed but we had huge huge expectations that were simply not met, however it is very popular.

And I would probably only do Universal if there are Harry Potter fans in the group, there are other things there that we like, but fir the cost and on a one off trip, I am not sure I would bother were we not the massive HP fans that we are.

There are huge advantages to staying on site for both Universal and Disney so I would consider that. The front of line pass for staying at select Universal hotels is excellent, I would not want to be without it. And offsite guests are unlikely to get a fast pass for the newer Disney attractions and will either have to miss out or face very long queues.

I don’t otherwise we believe in “must dos”, I don’t think there is anything that everyone must do, we are all individual and like different things.

[The Duchess]

I would recommend reading trip reports, I picked up ideas from these and other people's itineraries. I think it's fine to do Disney and universal in 2 weeks. We are only going for 10 days this time.

I would suggest staying onsite if possible as it just makes things a bit less hectic, however if this isn't possible for the whole trip maybe just universal? We had 2 nights at cabana bay, no front of line pass but early entry meant we got in HP area before it got busy.

We aim for 2 visits to each park on our plans, with shopping days and waterpark days in between. We then pop back for short visits to the ones we want more time at.

Good luck planning, x

[mrslfc]

Thank you for your comments.

We plan on splitting the time between staying on site at Disney and on site at Universal so hopefully this will help us to do as much as we can. Not thinking about doing Seaworld or Discovery Cove just Disney and Universal so hopefully it will be possible. Would like to do at least one day at a water park as well

[Lily8]

Originally Posted by mrslfc

Thank you for your comments.

We plan on splitting the time between staying on site at Disney and on site at Universal so hopefully this will help us to do as much as we can. Not thinking about doing Seaworld or Discovery Cove just Disney and Universal so hopefully it will be possible. Would like to do at least one day at a water park as well

See more...

We've just returned from our first 10 night Disney-only trip. We haven't ticked every single attractions as such, but we've covered the 4 parks really well, visiting each park more than once (except Hollywood Studios), both water parks and Disney springs. We've done everything we wanted to do, and so much more, with time to spare and a few afternoons spent by the pool. We haven't been to Universal, but from what I read I believe you could do both parks, and the water park, in 3-4 days. My daughter is a little younger than your son so perhaps your priorities will be somewhat different, but nevertheless it should be totally possible and you'll have a wonderful holiday!
Planning is your friend. It felt very strange to me to plan a holiday in such details, deciding months in advance what we'll do each day, but it worked! Also, be prepared to amend your plans once you're there. If you do your homework you should be able to adjust your plans, as and when necessary. We stayed on site which made things easy and reasonably quick on the transport front. We also made the most of our jet lag in the first few days with a few early starts: rope drop at MK on the first day, EMH at AK on the second day, rope drop at Epcot on the third day - than a later start at Typhoon Lagoon on the forth day. In the last few days we had a few split days and even a couple of late starts. I found a lot of good information on the Dibb and received some valuable advice here, but be mindful of your personal preferences, circumstances and needs - there isn't a 'one size fits all' trip.

[Inky]

We are doing 13 nights Disney next August and 3 nights RPR at universal, have been twice before and not done everything! Love the shows at AK and FOP at Pandora, also Everest ride, MK parade is fab and fireworks! My 2 favourite parks. Wizarding world at universal fab and volcano bay great water park. Love drinking around the world at Epcot. Can’t wait to see Star Wars!