Thinking of a relatively last minute trip to UOR on Jan 3-7. Wishing there was a good trip report on here from someone who has been recently. I see some of the pics online, and it seems a little crazier there on the walkways than Disney. My wife has possibly agreed to a trip. We were going to go to UOR because DS8 hasn’t been and is now tall enough to ride almost everything (not Hulk or RRR). I was thinking about WDW because I thought it would be a little safer. We likely are only going for 3-4 nights, so UOR is easier for that time frame.
If there is anyone on here who has been lately, would love to hear your thoughts. And if you’ve been to both recently, would love to hear a comparison of the parks in terms of safety/masks, etc.
I went to both in Oct but I went to UOR on weekends and Disney on weekdays since I could use express pass at UOR but not Disney. I felt safer in Disney. More mask compliance, stricter rules on types of masks allowed, more cast members enforcing rules. Both felt crowded at times in walkways. Disney felt more crowded in the stores but I shopped on my way out of the parks when everyone is and during the middle of the day at Universal. Universal required hand sanitizer before rides; I brought my own and used it afterwards. I did not like the plastic dividers in Disney; they obscured my view and made me feel claustrophobic. Both are now filling in all rows on roller coasters I believe but that wasn’t the case when I was there except the 2nd weekend we went back to Universal and they had begun doing that on The Mummy.
Thanks for linking those. I totally forgot about the Dreamer report.
This is going to be a tough decision. I said I wouldn’t go back to WDW until park hopping was back, and it’s back. I was all for UOR, but the park hours that week suck, with them closing at 5 and 6 on Tue/Wed/Thu. The hours are longer on Monday, but Mummy closes that day. And Sunday, the room we want isn’t available, and I’m not sure how keen DW will be about moving rooms.
I’m a little nervous on what we will do after the parks close at 6 pm on Tue/Wed.
I’m hoping that crowds will be lower, too, since most kids are in school (we don’t return until 1/11).
Is 9 hours not enough park time? Maybe wait til after close and have dinner at Citywalk or do some shopping, take a swim at the resort? I think the mini-golf is open late.
According to TP, yes crowds much better. In the 4 range.
9 hours in the park enough? Never. I have two sons, 8 and 12, who have lots of energy. When my 8 yr old was nearly 7, we did a trip just the two of us and started at 5:30 in the morning when DHS was opening at 6 am. I think we did 3 parks that day and finished at 10 pm. They are like the Energizer bunnies and will go all day if they can.
I thought about swimming, but even though the pools are “heated,” not sure how much swimming will be done at night if it’s in the 60s or cooler.
WDW was looking enticing, as we would likely stay at one of the Epcot resorts, and Epcot just extended their hours to 9 pm. Could be done at other parks and then head to Epcot around 6 and have dinner and still have two hours to hit some rides while most of the other parks are closed.
I’m a lurker on this forum, but have been helped so much by reports from others that I’m chiming in for you as we are at UOR right now. I won’t do a full report, but will give some quick comments! We are a family of 5 staying at RPR with 4 day passes and express passes because of our hotel- got here late 12/17. We didn’t decide to come for sure until a few days in advance due to concerns about travel these days, but decided to just go for it and we’re having a great time!
It is very busy here-we took our time the first morning due to a late arrival and waited in an hour long line just to enter the parks (our fault- it was a 9am open and we left the hotel at 8:50). Then we got smart and left the hotel at 6:30 for a 7am early opening yesterday and today- we basically walked right into the park and on to Hagrid’s both mornings with few stops- I think off the ride by 7:20 both days (and the ride is amazing by the way!). The walkways are crowded in many places, but everyone is wearing a mask and trying to stay apart. The lines are spaced and people have been respectful. We haven’t waited more than 30 min with our express passes (love these SO much!), and usually 5-10 min. I don’t think it will be nearly as busy when you go since we are here on the weekend with holiday crowds.
My husband was very hesitant due to Covid concerns, but even he has overcome it- we are constantly moving in the lines, so not standing in prolonged contact with anyone and everyone is masked. We hadn’t eaten in any restaurants since March, but feel safe here with spacing between tables and barriers if they are close. I hope this helps you- I’m happy to answer other questions if you have them. I can’t speak to Disney comparisons right now, but this is our first time here and we love it!
These are helpful. I’ve looked at the chat on Lines, but the UOR side is much quieter. We are going to look at flights tomorrow and see. The room we want at HRH isn’t available on Sunday night, and my wife isn’t too keen on moving. So many moving parts right now with a last minute trip and Covid. She had surgery in November, so also waiting for her next doctor’s appointment to see what kind of green light she might get. Disney rides tend to be a little milder, but she may spend a fair amount of time at the pools without us anyway.