6 full days in Orlando (DH, DD19, DD11, DS will b turning 8 during our trip). Last time we were @ WDW was 2019, before all the latest skip-the-line options (thats still confusing the hell out of me regardless how many times i read the Genie+ thread ) and newest rides (anything after RotR). Weāll only be hitting our favorite rides/attractions and even considering skipping AK since thereās nothing new there (at least i donāt think). As for the wrenchā¦
My son loves the minions so now weāre considering doing Universal as well. Which leads me to my questionsā¦ where do I begin the planning process???
Do I plan Disney parks 1st based on crowd calendar?
Since weāre just hitting the highlights &, if the budget wasnāt a concern, do we park hop + genie+ @ disney?
Btw, w/parkhopping (never done this before) does it allow us to visit 1 additional park a day or u literally have as much access as you want to all the parks in a day?
Since itās my sonās birthday, do either of the resorts do anything special for birthdayās? (Iāve seen kids w/birthday stickers @ Disney)
Can Universal be just as overwhelming from a planning perspective as the 1st time planning a trip to WDW?
all helpful tidbits are welcomed!! especially around planning or manuevering through the parks/resorts!
Yes, I would always consider the crowd levels if you have the ability to be flexible on the the days you are there. Just watch out for special events or things that could cut down your time there.
Personally, I think Genie+ is a necessity for some parks. Maybe not all. But to get LLās stacked and the chance to purchase something you like as well with no wait. Might make park hopping even better.
I think park hopping is a great idea if you just want to hit a couple of favorites and move on. It might be smart to get some LLs for the afternoon in the park you plan on hopping to and then have freedom to rope drop or meander in the mornings.
Resorts will give you a birthday badge at the front desk. From then, it is up to a cast member to make any magic and pixie dust.
Universal is easier to navigate and less constraining in my opinion. Just have a game plan when you want to hit the headliner rides to reduce wait times.
Be aware that currently you can only park hop from 2pm onwards (sometimes around 10 minutes earlier). But other than that you can visit as many parks as you want. You just book the first one and must tap into it before entering another park.
Iām not entirely sure how much the budget isnāt an issue, so Iām going to throw in my two cents on the āLuxe sideā. We add a VIP tour to the end of our trip to make sure we can redo and or catch anything that we missed previously. It gives us breathing room to enjoy the rest of the trip without feeling like Iām going to miss something important. Itās costly though. $425-$850 an hour with a 7 hour minimum depending on season/day.
I was also just trying to find the attractions group tours they used to have. IIRC it was $200 -ish for just the headliners or another one was geared towards the classics. I wonder if they stopped because of the pandemic. Maybe someone with better knowledge can jump in.
Since you are staying off-site, you should be able to get a birthday button at the gift shops or guest services at any of the parks. (This is for WDW. I donāt know about UOR)
The one thing Universal does better than Disney, hands down imo, is their express pass. No pre planning needed (unless thereās a huge line at Velocicoaster). You just pick where you want to go and get in line. No pre scheduling or availability concerns.
Now, there isnāt a huge Minion area, just so youāre aware, but the Harry Potter areas are pretty spectacular.
That was me before our trip last month! I can honestly say that LLs are totally easy if you download and use BG1 on your phone. I donāt recommend reading everything because trying to read everything just made my stomach churn and otherās comments made me feel totally unprepared.
Jeffās first post summarizes Genie+ fabulously! He also has priorities for Genie+, which is data driven. That priority worked very well for us.
Yes, I would always consider the crowd levels if you have the ability to be flexible on the the days you are there. Just watch out for special events or things that could cut down your time there.
Got it! - plan on disneyās crowd calendar, not universalās.
But to get LLās stacked and the chance to purchase something you like as well with no wait. Might make park hopping even better.
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āstackedā 2nd time i read this word in the threads pertaining to LLs. Can you explain what this means pertaining to LLs?
On average, does universial have lighter, the same, or worse crowds than disney?
yet another genie thread! aye-yi-yi - i feel a migraine coming on.
i had to go to the thread you referenced to find out what BG1 was. I think i need a youtube tutorial!
Iāll go back and read the Genie thread you mentioned however, when i browsed it briefly, it mentioned that disney has updated MDE with some of the features of BG1, so is BG1 still necessary??
Calm down! I totally can relate with you because I was in your same spot a few months ago. But a couple of Liners calmed me down.
BG1 is much faster and less cumbersome than MDE for LLs and Virtual Queue. And BG1 will list the hardest to get rides on top and tell you when a drop of more LLs may happen. You donāt get this in MDE. BUT you still need MDE to buy Genie+ and buy ILLs.
Donāt read the whole thread to the posts I referenced! That will definitely give you a migraine and stomach ulcer! Just read the first posts to both threads. That is really all you need. Download BG1 to your phone and allow it to work its magic! After your first use of BG1, ALL apprehensions will fly out the door! We all promise!
We bought Genie+ for our Epcot day, even though we didnāt need it because I didnāt want to use it for the first time at HS, where it would matter a lot. BG1 got us BG4 for Cosmic Virtual Queue and the first hour return time for Remy the first time we used it. So easy!
By the way, previous to our trip last month, our last trip was also 2019.
VIP at Universal is much more reasonable, and a great way to make sure you get all of the high points of both parks hit in one day. Charge is generally between $189-$229 per person, but thatās for the full 7 hour tour (not per hour). The first time we did UOR, we did this and it made the park much more understandable/manageable for us. After the 7 hour tour, you get an express pass for the rest of the day as well.
Not that i would ever spend that kind of money in a amusement park (iām still trying to make my dreams come true ) but you have definitely peaked my curiousityā¦
Whatās included in the VIP tour? How does it work?
They can pick you up from the hotel or you can meet them in a designated spot and then Disney World is your oyster! You can go on any ride/show/restaurant you want without having to wait in any of the lines or spending all day trying to work G=/LLās on the phone. That alone to me is worth the added expense.
You can pre-plan an itinerary with them so they can set up everything in advance or you can do what we like to do and just wing it day of. Theyāll even end the tour at your favorite parade/show in a special VIP seating area or at your favorite restaurant.
We find more of a value using them in California because there are only two parks and you can walk from one to the other. Trying to cram 4 parks into 7 hours is a lot harder than I thought it would be. So, for instance, our trip to Disneyland, we did Radiator Racers 4 times in a row and Matterhorn 5 or 6 times in a row iirc. We filled the rest of the time with favorites like Peter Pan, Splash Mtn, etc. Then we ended with front row chairs to Main Street Electrical Parade. It was the perfect day.
Itās not front of the line access, but just someone who can get the entire group into the fast pass lane without having to plan it out in advance. The tour guides are also very knowledgeable in Disney trivia and fun facts and can also take the group backstage for easier access to certain areas like driving from one park to another in a private van and then walking you right on to Ratatouille
I will agree that the tours at Universal are a lot cheaper and that is pretty much front of the line for anything. We were literally taken to the front of the line for Velocicoaster multiple times in a row. The only wait we had was for Hagridās and that was when they were still throttling anything other than the regular line usage.
I would say itās a bucket list item, except that itās completely spoiled us for all āregular tripsā after.
Iāll add that weāve considered cutting a week-two week trip down to 2 days and use the money we saved for a tour. Iām pretty sure thatās how Iām going to do Disneyland this summer with a gaggle of teenage boys. Weāll fly down, do the tour, spend the night in the villas and fly home next day.
That price range is up to 10 people, btw. But we still pay full price for only having 3. Example, we were just quoted $850 for a tour on a holiday, but that $850 is a flat rate, per hour, up to 10 people in a group for 7 hours minimum. There are a lot of people that āshareā tours to cut cost. We are still paying that same $850 an hour for just the 3 of us in our family because we donāt like people on our lawn.
Seriously, we like to be in control of where we go and how often we ride. Other people usually donāt like our touring style.
Thanks for taking the time to thoroughly explain! Iāll live vicariously through your experiences until i get there! Meanwhile, itāll be filed under #parkgoals
And, i totally agree, canāt imagine standing back in lines after the VIP tour.
However, i will seriously consider the Universal VIP tour.
) and newest rides (anything after RotR). Weāll only be hitting our favorite rides/attractions and even considering skipping AK since thereās nothing new there (at least i donāt think). As for the wrenchā¦
