Disney World and Universal Orlando in one trip used to be something families squeezed in by tacking a single Universal day onto the end of a Disney vacation. Epic Universe changed that completely. Universal Orlando is now a three-park destination that deserves its own dedicated days, and planning a split stay in Orlando requires a completely different strategy than it did even two years ago.
We have done this trip as a family of five and we hold annual passes for Universal Orlando. That means we have done the math, made the mistakes, and figured out what actually works for families who want the best of both worlds without blowing the budget or burning out by day four.
The honest answer is that a Disney World and Universal split stay is absolutely worth doing, but only if you plan it right.
This is our complete guide to planning Disney World and Universal Orlando in one trip. I cover how many days you actually need with Epic Universe now open, how to structure the split stay, what it costs for a family of 5, and whether the logistics are worth it for your family.
Planning just Disney World? Our Walt Disney World Guide covers everything. Planning just Universal? Our Universal Orlando Guide has you covered. This post is for families ready to do both.
- Disney World and Universal in One Trip- My Experience
- Planning a Disney World and Universal Split Stay
- How Much Time Do You Need to Do Disney World and Universal in One Trip
- How to Save Money on a Universal and Disney Trip
- Cost of Disney World and Universal Trip-March 2027
- Our Disney World and Universal Orlando 9 Day Itinerary
- Final Thoughts
This post may contain affiliate links.
Disney World and Universal in One Trip- My Experience
We have done a few trips where we spend a few days at Disney World and a few days at Universal. To stay on budget we usually use our annual passes an Universal so that we are only paying for tickets for Disney portion.
At times when we don’t have annual passes the ticket costs can add up fast. Doing two days at Disney and two day at Universal means no discount on tickets and usually cost $150.00 a person per day.
Both ticket pricing were on a more you play, less you pay scale. You will spend less per day per ticket the more days you purchase. I will go into more ticket details later in this post.
For me, at the start of every trip I plan it big. I take a look at what each portion of the trip will cost and then decide what stays and what goes. Sometimes there are ticket deals.
Disney World offered a 3-day ticket deal for $87.00 a day but it excluded Magic Kingdom. We decided to skip Magic Kingdom and do the other 3 parks. This is not the best strategy for first time Disney World visitors but it worked for our trip.
Bottom line is you may need to have flexibility in what parks you want to visit and how much time you want to spend at each theme park resort if you are on a budget. Let’s get into the details on planning a Universal and Disney World trip to see if it is right for you.
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 accommodations. My process is to have a notebook where I can start listing all the prices with a column for Disney World and a column for Universal. This allows me to easily compare ticket prices and accommodations.
Park 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 3 parks at Universal you will spend more money on tickets than doing 7 park 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. I suggest reading my in-depth guide for Disney World vacation costs.
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 either property you do not need a car during your trip, unless you want to go off property during your stay.
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.
Accommodations
There are a few different options when it comes to resort stays at Universal and Disney World.
- Stay on property at Disney for the Disney World part and Universal for the Universal part of your trip. This is my preference.
- 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.
Browse accommodations option below:
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 park 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.
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 10 days. There are 4 parks at Disney World and 3 parks 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 12-14 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.
How to Save Money on 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 Universal Orlando. The first thing I do when planning the trip is price everything out, then we start moving or removing things based on our budget.
The cost is going to be determined based on what you plan to do and where you stay. For example we saved money staying at the least expensive hotel on Disney property, Disney’s All Star Sports Resort. We also decided to choose 2 Disney 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. Also play around with Disney first, Universal second, or the opposite. Pricing can be different depending on the day of the week you visit.
It is a bit of research and work on the front end and 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.
Don’t want to plan? Consider using a travel agent. Our friend Nikki at Royal Treatment Travel is amazing and has helped us plan and book many of our trips. She finds the best deals and her service is complimentary for most theme park vacations! It is a win-win. Learn more here.
Cost of Disney World and Universal Trip-March 2027
This is an 9-Night itinerary for a family of 5 that includes staying at Disney World and Universal Orlando for your stay. This would include all of the parks with a day at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom as well as a day at Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and Epic Universe.
There are no rest days planned but I wanted to show a ballpark of cost if you decided to do all 7 theme parks in one trip. This does not include flights or dining. We did not do this trip, it is an example of cost only. We have done different itineration’s of split stays over the years. Prices will change, always do research before booking.
- March 9th-March 14th: 5 Nights at Disney’s Port Orleans- Riverside, 4 Day Park Tickets (Non-Hopper), for 5 people (2 adults, 3 kids over 9) $5,467.11
- March 14th-March 18th: 4 Nights at Universal’s Dockside Inn & Suites, 2 Bedroom Suite, 3-Day Park to Park tickets with 2 days free (Special offer) $4401.82
- Total Trip Cost: $9868.93
The cost of doing both theme park resorts in one trip might not be worth it, especially with Epic Universe opening. Universal is becoming a week long destination not just a one day during a Disney World trip. I would not recommend doing this for a first time visit unless you have two weeks and this will be your only trip to Orlando.
Our Disney World and Universal Orlando 9 Day Itinerary
This was the itinerary I planned for our Disney World and Universal Orlando trip. We had Universal Orlando Annual Passes at the time which covered our tickets and we used our AP discount for the resort. We did two parks at Disney World (Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom) and two parks at Universal Orlando (Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure).
- 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 from Universal Aventura Resort to Disney’s All Star Sports Resort, 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.
Final Thoughts
We ended up spending 5 full days at the parks between Universal and Disney and the trip is one of my favorites. Now that we visit Disney with teens and our trips are planned a bit differently we like to do split stays more often.
We also like to stay on a budget so we don’t do a full two weeks with all the parks. We pick and choose which parks we are prioritizing and work our itinerary around the time we have. For us it is better to go on the trip with less parks then not go at all.
Read Next: Walt Disney World vs Universal Orlando | What Theme Park is Best for Your Orlando Vacation
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Leah has been traveling with her family of 5 since 2012 and sharing her expertise on planning family vacations and visiting theme parks since 2016. Leah has been featured in Visit Rochester, Undercover Tourist, and Home Publications. She has worked with brands like Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, Hersheypark, Toyota, and various Tourism boards and destinations. Leah creates family travel itineraries based on real trip experiences with her family. Her guides and tips help others plan great family vacations. Learn more about Leah and Five for the Road.