Is 1 Day Worth It?

[disneyworldprincess]

Hey everyone!

My mom and I are planning out annual mother/daughter trip for January 2023. We typically go for 8 days, all at Disney. However, this year, we are toying with the idea of doing a day at Universal since it has been years since we have been. I may have been 4 or 5 when we went last, and I'm almost 26 now. We priced it out and it'd be about $700 for the day between tickets (2 park, 1 day), Express Pass for the both of us, parking, and food. We are just wondering if it would be worth the money to try it out for a day. Neither of us can really handle heavy motion simulation rides and my mom doesn't do roller coasters at all. A lot of the Universal roller coasters even seem out of my league, as Everest is about my max and can't do Rockin' Roller Coaster anymore because it makes me too dizzy. We're afraid that the Universal rides may be too out of our league and wanted some other people who have been before. We are mainly interested in doing the Jurassic Park section and Harry Potter section.

Thanks in advance!

 

[macraven]

Take a look at the UO/IOA site and read what rides and shows would appeal for you

I don’t enjoy or do coaster rides and do full days at the parks

 

[CAPSLOCK]

When in Jan? If you are planning mid-week and not around MLK day, you probably can do without the Express.

 

[bchbetha]

You can definitely spare a day for Universal out of your 8 Disney days. Do it!

 

[Lunasmom]

I have done both parks in one day with no express pass and with a non rider. I would say you could do it but it was expensive. This time around I am taking 2 days to do it as I know I could spend just a day doing all the Harry Potter stuff. I plan on trying to do more rides but don’t know how I will do as I am older now and haven’t gone on any rides in years.

 

[AJA]

No in my opinion it is not worth $700 for 1 day at the Universal parks.

Wait until you can make it a longer stay maybe a more relaxing vacation as opposed to the full schedule Disney usually is.

 

[WickstarRunner]

We just did the same thing you're thinking of doing about 4 weeks ago. It's a lot to do in one day but it can be done. However, since you've said simulators and intense coasters are out, you're already limiting your options quite a bit. I have a hard time recommending Universal to folks with those limitations; you're eliminating about half of the offerings. Is HP worth it? Maybe. I don't think it is (I don't like the concept of the immersive lands like HP and Galaxy's Edge) but most would probably say it is. Maybe one park as opposed to both would work better in this case (Studio unless JP is REALLY important for you).

Definitely don't need express pass as long a it's not a holiday weekend, you'll never get enough value out of it with the restrictions you've mentioned.

 

[CynBeth]

We just stayed on Universal property for 2 nights for the first time right before Disney around Thanksgiving with park to park passes and got the express with our room as we stayed at Portofino . We had not been in years and really enjoyed our time there. We do not go on roller coasters or anything with a drop but love motion simulators. We had heard they were more intense than the ones at Disney so to be on the safe side we wore the motion sickness patch and did fine. We also saw some shows and the afternoon parade. Plus the nighttime cinematic show on the water and the projections on Hogwarts Castle. You should research all of the rides and shows that both parks have to determine if you feel it is worth it or not. I looked on the Universal website as well as YouTube videos of the rides and did a search for reviews and comments to see which ones we thought were good for us and which to skip.