Let's Do Disney..and Universal...and Sea World...and the beach....!!!!

Why you shouldn't try to do more than Walt Disney World on the same trip

Don't get me wrong, we love theme parks.  There is something for everyone, no matter how young or old.  When you're headed to central Florida, there are a ton of options and often, I think clients approach this like they would a buffet dinner - "I need to get a little of everything!"  This "but I want to do them all" mentality can lead to an exhaustive and expensive trip.

It is our job as travel planners to help you have the best trip and in order to do this, we have to discourage this "do-a-little-bit-of-everything-mentality."  For this post, let's review what I mean by theme parks.  I'm not  including water parks because you want a blog, not a research paper.

Walt Disney World is by far the largest and has four theme parks:  Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.  The Disney company owns 30,000 acres in central Florida, more than double the size of Manhattan.  We would encourage everyone to take a full week to visit, provided your budgets and calendars permit.  I've been nearly 30 (or maybe it is 30) times and still haven't experienced it all.

Universal Studios has two theme parks, Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida.    Both are neat in their own respect and a Park-to-Park ticket is necessary in order to ride Hogwarts Express, the Harry Potter train that connects the two.  I think you could comfortably do both parks in three days.  As of August, 2019 Universal announced plans for a third theme park, Epic Universe scheduled to open in 2023.

Sea World has one theme park, Sea World.  It's not somewhere we've been in a long time but many clients ask about it.  Another "one day" alternative a lot of clients ask about is a day at the beach.  It will take you about 75-90 minutes to travel from the "theme park area" to the beach.  

The beach trip is also going to likely require a rental car which then adds cost for fuel and parking if you keep it at your resort, likely adding $60-100 to your cost.  Not to mention, there's no meal plan at the beach so figure another $50 for meals or snacks.



What it really boils down to is the cost:  it's really expensive to hit the buffet!  I did a few sample quotes for a family of four (2 adults and 2 kids - ages 10 and 6) traveling for a full week in June.  I tried to keep the accommodations (value-style resorts with 2 queen beds), tickets (six days worth) and meal plans the same at each destination so we could compare apples to apples and here's what I found out

A trip to just the four Disney theme parks would cost just over $4700.  
A trip combining Disney, Sea World, and Universal Studios would run almost $6300.

With the "buffet trip" to all three, the price difference is just the start.  It doesn't account for the fact that you'd only get to visit three of the Disney parks, have to unpack and repack at three separate hotels, have to use off-property transportation (such as a taxi or Uber) to get between WDW, Sea World, Universal Studios, and the airport because none of them share a transportation system, plus the fact you'll feel rushed and never get a sense like you "saw it all" or figured it out.  

As corny as it may seem, Disney is a completely immersive experience that really demands a longer stay to soak in the Magic!  Now, with that all said - we are happy to book clients on any sort of multiple-destination trip they choose.  Just keep in mind, it's our job, based on the knowledge of our many trips and hundreds (nearly 1000s) more we've booked for our clients, to guide you toward the optimal experience for the best price.

Choosing the right trip depends on your family dynamics and interests.  Contact us a dillontravels@gmail.com if you need help hashing out the details.  Remember, we don't charge any fees for our assistance.  ~Joe