[vet51]

We get down to Disney every 18 months or so, so when we go we try to do all of the parks including Universal / IOA. We've never been to Sea World but I'd like to try it someday. As far as the Universal parks go there are things there, that Disney doesn't have, like Spiderman, MIB and so on. My kids are older so there are plenty of attractions at Universal / IOA that they look forward to a lot and so do I. However the other parks don't hold a candle to Disney for pure charm, they lack that certin something that makes the Disney parks number 1. I always buy two day tickets for Universal / IOA so we can park hop because its hard to spend an entire day in just Universal or IOA. The passes have a second day and we'll often spend part of another day hitting the highlights and then head back to Disney to finish the day. So, overall I'd say yes visit Universal but plan to return to one of the Disney parks at the end of the day.

[Paul S]

they lack that certin something that makes the Disney parks number 1.

I still say that it is that Disney doesn't have something- and that's why it's number one. That something is MUNG. US has MUNG.

Like I said, I love the shows however. We haven't yet tried Islands of Adventure, and I'm looking forward to it. I hear it's great. I also have never been to SW in FL. I've been there in SoCal and I liked it quite a bit. Haven't been back in a decade, though. I'd like to get to SW, FL.

Paul

[Pooh Fan]

We love Disney, but we also love Universal and Islands of Adventure in Florida. We have two kids and both loved Disney and the 2 Universal parks for different reasons. I think that for those who love roller coasters, the 2 parks at Universal are the best. My DS was 4 on our last trip to Florida and he loved everything at Universal Studios. We are originally from Texas and held season passes to Sea World San Antonio for years, so for us we see no need to go to Sea World in Orlando. Been there, done that, can do it again when we go visit family.

For the overall experience, no one can beat Disney. It will always be our favorite, but I think Universal and IOA are great too!

[CaraMia]

I have to admit....I enjoy Universal Studios. We do not go very often though. Maybe once every few years. The last time we went was about 5 years ago. We went to Islands of Adventure once and were not impressed. Would much rather go to MK. We probably wont go to Universal again until my son is a bit older (he is only 2.5 years old).

It has been years since we visited Sea World but from what we remember it was okay. Again, not a place I would visit frequently. We will probably go there next year after my son is 3 years old. There is no way he would sit through the shows right now.

[WDWaddict]

We have been to SeaWorld 3 times in 9 years..it is nice to go every few years but not much changes there so that is enough for us. I love SeaWorld and we'll always go back.
Universal..not big on either of them(FLorida/Hollywood) DH really think they are a waste of $ for what they offer. We haven't been in years though, so they may be different. Plus, one of our kiddos is only 4 and it would really be a waste to go now. When my little guy gets older, and if they want to go, we'll take them.
Islands of Adventure..this actually looks pretty good and I have heard good things about it. Appropriate for my 4 year old and still exciting for my almost 10 year old so that is nice. We plan to do this park sometime next year but it won't be a yearly trip for us..we'll stick to Disney parks every year and fill in every few years w/ a trip to SeaWorld and IOA/Universal.

[honeypot]

We NEVER leave Disney property. My sister has been to Universal several times and doesn't like it. She goes because her husband wants to. She said that it doesn't have the warm fuzzy feeling that WDW has. Reason enough for me to stay away.

[MrDisneyfan1]

Universal is "HIGH OCTANE" when it comes to some of there better "bigger" attractions, which are fun, and has many things to do for the entire familiy (more at IOA)
But is does not have the magic, the magic that we all love. It will never be a destination vacation, but rather a one day pop over.

[lawwin]

My DD (lil' brer) calls Universal that "other park" and says that she has no interest in going there. Her father took to Six Flags Atlanta during a recent visitation and got a little upset with her at hearing the constant comparisons to Disney ("why don't the characters sign autographs like Disney?" and "This isn't like Disney.") She couldn't understand why he got upset. She told me when she got back home that she would rather have gone to Disney and she was glad that we were going back soon, because nothing compares to the magic at Disney. I think that just about sums it up for us.

[chris5568]

We have been to Universal, IOA, and Sea World. We don't like Universal very much, but IOA and Sea World are great. We still prefer to spend most trips only at WDW though. I would like to see how the other parks are decorated for Christmas.

[jeannej]

It depends on what you like and the ages of your children, if you have any.

We love Universal and Islands of Adventure as much as we love WDW. But, it is a different expereince. We always go to both.

jeannej

[pkc123]

We liked IOA. The coasters are great. City Walk is nice with all the restaurants
especially Emerils and the Hard Rock Hotel and the Nascar Cafe.

[Disneywife]

Originally Posted by tinkerbell

several years ago I went with a group of friends to Universal in cal. I wasnt impressed and drove my friends nuts with "it aint disney"
We have a sea world in texas and we went there a couple of times years ago but .. its not Disney

But they aren't supposed to be...

I cannot speak for Universal Studios in Florida as we won't be going there, but Universal Studios in California is a real, working movie and television studio. Many movies and tv shows are filmed there on a daily basis. Only a small portion of it is for the guests! Universal here is apparently nothing like Universal in Fl, which is all theme-park-ish.

And Seaworld, in my opinion (speaking of the one in San Diego), definitely should NOT be anything like Disney. It's supposed to be educational and fun, sparking interest in marine life. I think if it were "Disneyized," it would be ruined. Don't get me wrong, I am a true Disney fan (DLR) and heck, the company feeds us and pays our mortgage, but there are places where Disney doesn't belong. I think it would be good for kids to have vacations and outings other than Disney.

We do a lot of Disney. Yes. It's part of the package. But we also go camping, go places like Seaworld and the zoo, museums, and travel to places like Hawaii, Greece (where my dh is from), and various places around the country. I definitely want my kids to experience much more than Disney.

For instance, when we go to Florida this December, we'll be there for 9 days. Only 4 of the days will be at Disney. 1 day we'll go to Kennedy Space Center. 1 day we are going to Silver Springs http://www.silversprings.com/index-flash.htm . We have no plans for the other two days as of yet. My son wants to go bowling!

[MJD]

My kids are more intrested in going. I have been there, a long time ago. I think it is geared more towrds adults than children.

Can't beat WDW

[JM0318]

I can tell you that the last time I was at Universal the rides hurt me. on ET ride in the line they had dry Ice to make fog/smoke, it triggered an asthma attack and then in the back to the future ride I had a bruise on my leg the size of a soft ball, it hurt for two days... so I don't go there anymore... I can ride ToT and no bruise... or RRC and I have a bad back and I can still ride those with out hurting myself so I don't go to Universal for health reasons they hurt me.....ºoºJudy

[chris5568]

I also got a very large bruise on the back of my leg at IOA, when riding dueling dragons. (fire and Ice)