Disney World and Universal in One Trip

In this post I am sharing how to plan Disney World and Universal in one trip. These tips will help you decide if a split stay Universal and Disney trip will work for you.

There are pros and cons to doing a split stay at Disney World and Universal. The biggest pro is getting to experience the best of both theme parks. The biggest con is that it can end up being more expensive then staying at one theme park for your entire trip.

My family recently returned from a Disney/Universal split stay and today I am sharing how to plan a trip like this and what you should consider.

Planning a Disney World and Universal Split Stay

There are three main areas to research when planning a trip to Disney World and Universal. They are ticket prices, transportation needs, and hotel options.

Tickets

Tickets are one of the biggest expense of a theme park trip. If you are doing both Disney World and Universal it will be a big part of your budget.

Both theme parks sell tickets based on the “longer you stay the less you pay per day”. At Disney World after the 4th day the price increase becomes very small. At Universal they often have buy 3 days get 2 days free.

This makes it tricky when recommending a split stay. If you want to do all 4 parks at Disney World and the 2 parks at Universal you will spend more money on tickets than doing 6 days at one place.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it just keep in mind how the pricing structure works at the theme parks. Check out these posts where I share tips for doing Disney on a budget and Universal on a budget.

Ticket Tip: I highly recommend comparing prices from the Disney or Universal website to a third party seller. I partner with Undercover Tourist and recommend them for Disney trips and Universal trips. Personally I look at both to see where I can find the best deal.

Transportation

You do not need a car at Universal or Disney World. Universal’s transportation options include bus, boat, and walking paths that get you to/from the theme parks. Disney World transportation includes monorail, buses, boats, skyliner, and walking paths.

Once you are on property you do not need a car for during your trip, unless you want to go off property during your stay or you plan on staying at one hotel for your entire stay and decided to drive to the parks.

You will need to figure out how to get from the Orlando International Airport to the parks. On our last trip we used Uber/Lyft to get from the airport to Universal, from Universal to Disney World, and from Disney World back to the airport.

After researching this was the least expensive way to get around. Renting a car would have been more expensive due to basic costs as well as parking at Universal Hotel. Disney does not charge guests for overnight parking at their hotels.

Hotel

There are so many options when it comes to hotel stays at Universal and Disney World.

• Stay on property at Disney and Universal for each part of your trip.
• Stay on property at Disney or Universal for your trip and drive to the parks.
• Rent a house for the duration of your stay.
• Stay at an off-site hotel for your stay.

I always recommend staying on-site at Disney or Universal. I love the resorts on property and the perks to guests make it worth it. Both theme parks offer early admission to the theme parks for their on-site guests.

I also like staying inside the bubble of the theme parks. If you do not you may want to consider renting an Orlando house for the trip.

Renting a house has its perks but keep in mind additional costs like parking fees at the parks and rental fees. I also think it is important to consider your time driving to/from the parks, dealing with traffic, and ease of taking mid-day breaks.

We have always found the savings to be small compared to the benefits of staying on property at Universal and Disney World.

Cost of a Universal and Disney Trip

As I mentioned above there are so many different factors to determine your cost of a trip to Disney World and Unviersal.

We recently returned from a trip and the first thing we did was decide what we wanted to spend. From there we were flexible in how we planned our trip.

The cost is going to be determined based on what you plan to do. For example we saved money staying at the least expensive hotel on Disney property. We also decided to choose 2 parks for this trip instead of all 4.

You may not need a car for your entire trip, that could save you days of parking costs and rental fees. Skip park hopper if you are trying to save money and focus on one park each day.

Another way to save on your trip is be flexible with your dates. If you can visit during off-season you will save at both Disney World and Universal.

This might not work for everyone but it is important to really think about what your priorities are and then try to work within them.

Example of Disney World and Universal Trip in March 2025

This is an 8-Night itinerary that includes staying at Disney World and Universal Orlando for your stay. Prices may change and it is always best to do a bit of research to find the best offer but this gives you a general idea.

• March 9th-March 14th: 5 Nights at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, 4 Day Park Tickets (Non-Hopper), for 5 people (2 adults, 3 kids over 9) $5,239.75
• March 14th-March 17th: 3 Nights at Universal’s Dockside Inn & Suites, 2 Bedroom Suite, 3 park 4 day park-to-park tickets, plus a $300 food and beverage gift card(special offer) $3,244.14
• Total Trip Cost: $8483.89

How Much Time Do You Need to Do Disney World and Universal in One Trip

If you want to do Disney World and Universal with time at all the parks you should plan at least 8 days. There are 4 parks at Disney World and 2 parks at Universal. (In 2025 Epic Universe will open as the 3rd park at Universal.)

This will give you travel days and maybe a rest day. If you want to do the water parks and have rest days you might want to plan 10-12 days.

If this is your first visit to Disney World or your first visit to Universal I do not recommend a split stay. It can be done but it is a big trip to plan and you want time to really enjoy your stay instead of being busy with both parks.

This split trip was the first time we have ever done a trip like this and we have done Disney and Universal trips since 2013.

Let’s dig into our itinerary for a split stay at Disney World and Universal Orlando

Our Disney World and Universal Orlando 9 Day Itinerary

• Day 1: Late Night Check-In to Universal’s Aventura Hotel, took Uber from Orlando International Airport to Hotel.
• Day 2: 10:00am arrival at Universal Studios Florida, Lunch at Mel’s Drive In, Mid-Day Break, Dinner at Pat O’Briens, and late night at Islands of Adventure.
• Day 3: Early Entry at Islands of Adventure to rope drop Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Lunch at Three Broomsticks, water rides, rest time at hotel, back to parks for Universal Annual Passholder Night, parade and nighttime show.
• Day 4: Universal Studios Show day, prioritized shows and rides we hadn’t yet done or wanted to do again, explored CityWalk, watched fireworks and sunset from rooftop of Aventura Hotel.
• Day 5: Uber to Disney’s All Star Sports Resort, Uber from Universal to Disney, Disney Springs for dinner and night show. (The night show is currently not running.)
• Day 6: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Day 7: Rest Day, Brunch at Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Day 8: Magic Kingdom
• Day 9: Return home

Honestly this was a perfect Disney World and Universal itinerary for us. I was worried we would be sad we didn’t do all 4 parks at Disney but it allowed us to enjoy the pool, sleep in a bit on rest days, and overall not feel rushed.

We ended up spending 5 full days at the parks between Universal and Disney and the trip is one of my favorites.

Read Next: Walt Disney World vs Universal Orlando | What Theme Park is Best for Your Orlando Vacation

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