WDW and Universal on same trip. Where to stay?

We are visiting in September 2017 for the first time with our 10 year old son. We want to stay at Disney for sure,but we also want to visit Universal for a couple of days. What are the options for us? Can we stay at Disney the whole time, or does it make more sense to move to Universal, or is there another option? Thank you in advance for your help!

We recently stayed off site WDW for four days (Marriott Harbour Lake) and onsite UOR Cabana bay for four days. I am sure there are a few threads regarding this topic you could search for and there will be many that post for staying in the “bubble” at WDW…here is a link to a “stay on or off property-that is the question”.

You can find my more detailed opinion/experience from a recent trip there. Hope you enjoy the planning phase and have great trip!

I feel like the perks of staying onsite are great for both. At Universal, the express pass you get for staying on-site at some of their hotels is VERY worth it. It’s like a FP for everything. At Disney, the transportation and FP and dining reservation perks are also quite helpful.

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We are splitting between disney and universal for our upcoming trip. Due to the express pass perk, it makes sense for us to spend some time at a Uni hotel. You can stay at disney and buy the express pass, but booking the hotel seems more efficient. Depending on the number of people going, I hvae heard reports of booking a disney hotel, actually staying there the entire trip, but booking the cheapest room at Uni that could be found and grant early entry/express pass privileges. For some families who did the math, booking a hotel room they might only use for a break was cheaper than buying the express pass.