Perhaps the hottest debate in family vacations is whether to choose Walt Disney World or the Universal Orlando Resort.
Covering all of the factors for these two parks would have us here for weeks, so let’s take a look at the two parks if you are traveling with smaller children.
Obviously, traveling with young children has its unique challenges, and with how expensive a family vacation can be, you want to be sure that you are making the best choice! We’re focusing on the parks for those with youngsters ages 3 and under.
Attractions
Unless your child is a descendant of Paul Bunyon, you’re going to be pretty much hanging around “family-friendly” attractions. These attractions have no height limit, and the entire family can ride them together.
Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World has more than 50 attractions through the 4 parks that have no height restriction, so Junior will never be bored! In addition to those, there are also 3 fun attractions that have a height requirement of 35” or less.
Universal Orlando Resort
In huge contrast, Universal Orlando Resort only has 4 attractions with no height requirements, and one attraction with a height requirement of 35” or less.
Universal Orlando Resort is most known for their high thrills adventures and terrifying thrill rides, so naturally, there is not much for the entire family.
Which is Better?
Overall, we have to hand it to Disney – Their mix of family friendly and thrill attractions is the perfect blend for a family with small children. If you are all about the attractions at a theme park, you might want to save Universal Orlando Resort for when everyone is a little older and can enjoy the thrills.
Child Swap
Child Swap is a service offered by both parks that allows everyone in a party to enjoy an attraction even if there is a member that is unable to or unwilling to participate. While both Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort offer Child Swap, they each do it a little differently.
Walt Disney World
To use Child Swap, see the Cast Member at the entrance to the Lightning Lane. They will scan everyone’s ticket or magic band. Then the party will wait in line except for the person who wont be riding and the adult that is waiting with them. While the rest of your party is waiting you can walk around with the child, shop, grab a snack, or let them nap in a shady spot. Once the rest of your party exits the ride the adult who waited can scan into the Lightning Lane side of the line and hop right on to ride!
It’s basically a passing the baton situation like a relay race.
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal takes a much simpler approach to child swap. The entire family enters the queue, (sometimes strollers included!) and wait together. When you approach the front of the line the the adult waiting with the child and the child will wait in a child swap room and wait for their party to come switch with them.
Let’s talk about these child swap rooms – They are themed to the attractions! Harry Potter the Forbidden Journey’s child swap room looks like it came straight out of Hogwarts and is showing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on a loop, and the child swap room from the Fast & the Furious attraction features magnetic race cars to play with.
Honestly, it’s fun to see how they are going to theme the rooms!
Which is Better?
While both situations are different, they are both equally great! Neither option is more convenient than the other. When we’re at Disney I utilize the wait time to grab a smoothie with my toddler or snuggle, but when we’re in Universal, it’s nice to keep the whole family together.
Stroller Parking
If you’ve been to a theme park, you know all about Stroller Hell, I mean, Stroller Parking. It’s a necessary evil that walks a fine line between too much and too little.
Walt Disney World
Stroller Parking is abundant in Walt Disney World, especially in the Magic Kingdom. Some could say that there is too much, especially in Fantasyland, but as a parent, it is magical. You generally have to ditch the wheels to ride an attraction, so Disney’s ample parking is great. We never need to seek out a space to put our stroller, and the exits are usually pretty close to the entrance so it’s never too far.
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal…. Do you not want children in your parks?? There is so little stroller parking in Universal Orlando Resort that I have resorted to just carrying my child instead. With so few spots, you are always far from your attraction, and unlike Disney, the exit is usually around the corner from the entrance so that means and even further walk back to the stroller.
Which is Better?
Not even close. Disney does it better. Love Universal, but this one’s not close. In their defense, this is not a “little kid friendly” type of theme park, so they don’t have the quantity of strollers coming through their gates that Disney does.
“Time Out” Spaces
At home a time out space is for punishment, but in places with such high stimulation it’s nice to have a nice shady quiet area to calm the mind, take a breath, or even a nap.
Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World is known for their immersive lands and theming, but they also maintain a lot of green spaces and quiet corners. Every park you go you can find a nice quiet corner where you are pretty much alone and it is necessary when you are trying to avoid massive meltdowns.
In addition to these quiet areas, there are also baby care centers in every Disney park. These centers are quietly themed and are a nice respite for diaper changes or just calm down moments. Each Baby Care Center is air conditioned and equipped with supplies, rocking chairs, and a quiet classic Disney movie.
Universal Orlando Resort
With each new expansion and refurbishment at Universal Orlando Resort we have seen more and more dedication to theme and immersion, especially in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. There is so much to see that you will never see it all, which is great when you come often!
Universal Orlando Resort does not have many quiet nooks and crannies, however. There are a few small areas that are slightly out of the way from the crowds, but they are completely exposed to the Orlando sun and would not be very relaxing.
Which is Better?
Universal Orlando Resort is truly the place to be when you want to go hard from morning til night, but in full honesty, the environment is tough for little kids that “need a minute”. Walt Disney World is full of quiet shady places that just give you a minute to breathe. Between beautiful green space and baby care centers, Disney ensures that you have everything you need for your little guys.
Entertainment
Live entertainment is almost as important as rides these days. Afterall, a theme park without live entertainment is basically a Six Flags, and that’s not the vibe we’re going for!
Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World is full of live entertainment with parades, fireworks shows, bands and music, and live stage shows. There’s so much to see an do, but how does it fare for the youngest guests?
It’s important to know that just about all of the live entertainment in Disney requires a lot of time commitment and sitting still, both of which are not exactly qualities that children possess. The parades are very popular, so people often wait close to an hour for a seat, same as the fireworks shows, and the stage shows themselves are over 20 minutes and may not be stimulating enough to capture their attention.
Universal Orlando Resort
While Universal doesn’t offer as much as Disney in terms of entertainment, what they do have is short, sweet, and fun. There is something to be said about being able to just walk by and watch a little live show without having to scout out a seat.
You can find all sorts of short shows in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, like the frog choir, the Tri-Wizard Champions, and Celestina Warbeck (if you don’t know who she is, go ahead and reread Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). Universal Orlando Resort also has short parades loaded with famous characters like Spongebob and the Minions, and other fun live music shows around the parks.
Which is Better?
For entertainment, we say that Universal Orlando Resort does it best! Kids don’t want to wait forever for a live show, especially when it is in the sun. Universal does a great job letting them see and wave to their favorite characters and be off to the next adventure without too much fuss.
Character Interactions
Character meet and greets are a huge part of any major theme park! Kids are amazingly pure and believe that their TV idol is right in front of them. So which park does it better?
Walt Disney World
You can find dozens of characters to meet and greet through the parks to get autographs, hugs, selfies, or maybe just a high five. It seems everywhere you turn, there is a full size character there ready to make some magic. Mickey is available in every park to say hi, and then you can refer to the My Disney Experience app for a full list of every available character and where to meet them.
Most meet and greets in Walt Disney World are really intimate so guests can create magical memories and not worry about feeling rushed or embarrassed, which is fantastic for those that are a little shy.
Universal Orlando Resort
Meet and Greets in Universal are not as commonplace as in Disney, but they are memorable! How can you forget that time that you were almost eaten by a Velociraptor, or the time you trained a baby dinosaur? Exactly. Incredible!
Plus, if your kids are fans of super heroes then Universal Orlando Resort is perfect for you. Thanks to a little clause in the contract between Disney and Universal, Universal Orlando Resort can maintain the presence of all Marvel characters that are currently represented in the park despite Disney purchasing the franchise.
These meet and greets are more informal and happen as you are walking by, which makes things unpredictable, but also fun! You never know what will happen, like the time our toddler started using his wand (from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter) to try to cast spells against a DC villain after the character scared his sister. It was so hilarious that the Team Member almost broke character!
Which is Better?
Both! Honestly, the perfect park for characters really depends on what your kids and family enjoy. Though, if Universal Orlando Resort were to lose the rights to using Marvel characters, then the scale would be tipped towards Disney.
Character Dining
A fun way to guarantee that you will get to see characters without long lines is through character dining. These restaurants don’t generally garner much attention for its food, it’s the characters that we’re after!
Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World offers 13 different unique character dining experiences with different themes and characters. You can dine and meet with Mickey and friends where they are farmers, artists, chefs, or just coming off of a movie set. You can enjoy Friendship Day with Winnie the Pooh and friends, venture into the woods to meet Snow White, dwarfs, and the evil queen, or even have breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. Let’s not forget to mention the different Princess dining opportunities!
There is definitely a character dining meal for everyone in Walt Disney World!
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort has one character dining experience, and it is all about those superheroes! This Marvel themed restaurant will of course play host to popular characters like Spiderman, Captain America, and Wolverine, but there are also lesser known characters like Cyclops, Storm, and Rogue.
Which is Better?
We love the Marvel dining experience in Universal Orlando Resort, but it’s not enough to overcome Disney’s massive list of character dining experiences. Unless your child is nuts about all things superhero, then Disney really is your best place for character dining.
Resorts
Many people see the room they stay in as just a place to rest your head, so they opt to save money and book a hotel off-site. If you are traveling with young guests, you might want to reconsider. Things like naps, rest days, early starts and more can really make or break a family trip. Nobody wants tantrums.
Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World is host to over 27 different resort hotels, so there is definitely always someplace to stay, but there is one major drawback – The distance to the parks. You really have to plan your transportation with your park plans, because more often than not it’s going to take at least a half and hour to get where you’re planning to go, and that’s not considering the actual wait time for the bus itself.
Universal Orlando Resort
There are under a dozen resort hotels at Universal Orlando Resort, but surprisingly they have amazingly low prices. Not only are they very affordable, but the proximity to the parks is great! You never need to wait more than 5 minutes for a bus to the park, and then it is just a short ride to get there!
If you need to go back to the room for a bit for a short rest, you won’t have to waste time with transportation. It’s right there!
Which is Better?
With kids on vacation, we always try to opt for the path of least resistance and go with the easiest option. When comparing whether to go to Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando Resort, as far as resorts alone go, Universal is far easier than Disney World. They are much closer to the parks, making it easier to just pick up and go. Plus, a cheaper price tag makes everything easier.
Our Thoughts From Experience…
We have traveled with our 3 kids through all of the different ages to both Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort. The decision where to go is very personal, but for us, we will only do Universal with our children old enough to ride everything.
It’s hard to walk into a park that has these big cool rides in your face everywhere and have to be told over and over again that “you’re not big enough”. I also found it very frustrating that rides in the Dr. Seuss themed land even had a height requirement. Overall, I spent all of our Universal vacations alone with a toddler while my husband was off having fun with our older kids because our toddler could only ride 2 rides our entire trip. The child swap rooms were fantastic, but he was over it after a while and just wanted to do something.
Remember, your experiences may vary from ours! For us, we are a predominately Disney family with the occasional day at Universal Orlando Resort. At least, for now.
Have comments or questions, be sure to leave them in the Comment Section Below!
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This Universal Orlando Guide Post By: Erin Schreiver Erin loves going to Universal with her family and all things Harry Potter! Check out her bio. |
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