A Disney Family Does Universal...

While Disney is hands-down my park of choice, this summer my daughter and I found ourselves in Orlando, Florida for a dance competition—and she surprised me with a bold confession: she’d officially been “Disney’ed out.” Who is this child? After some negotiation (and a touch of maternal disbelief), we decided to venture to the “dark side” for the first time ever and spend a day at Universal Studios. A few things to know about our trip: First, we were tempted by the newly opened Epic Universe (Universal’s third park), but steep ticket and express pass prices (over $800!) and notoriously long wait times made us rethink our strategy. Second, we had only one day, knew we’d be starting late after a long night before, and wanted to maximize our time—so we opted for a 2-park, 1-day ticket. We began at Universal Studios Florida, then hopped on the Hogwarts Express over to Universal Islands of Adventure to see as much as possible.

Here’s what we learned: Universal’s rides are, without a doubt, much more intense than Disney’s—something we anticipated, but still, the element of surprise made each attraction exhilarating (though, fair warning, if bursts of fire aren’t your thing, skip the Mummy ride!). If you aren’t going open-to-close, a solid game plan is essential to fit in your must-dos. Like Disney, Universal is split into distinct themed “worlds,” so knowing how to navigate those quickly can make all the difference. Also, unlike Disney, the Memory Maker isn’t as much of a thing—so if you want great photos, don’t be shy about asking a friendly passerby for help. All things considered, this adventure confirmed we’re Disney people at heart. While we thoroughly enjoyed the excitement and novelty of Universal, and would certainly return someday, the magic of Disney still calls us home.