Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Unfortunately it is much the same with parades and fireworks - although better than many
otherthemeparks,Universal'sofferingsimplyarenowherenearasgoodasanyofDisney's
parades or nighttime shows.
FASTPASS+ vs. Express Pass
-AtWaltDisneyWorldyourparkticketenablesyouaccess
to make free Fastpass+ reservations, which let you skip the regular line by giving you a
certain time to ride. You can make these in advance or on the day of your visit itself - if
made in advance it is a good way of guaranteeing that you will do at least a certain num-
ber of attractions. It is a bit of a complicated system to understand but guidebooks like
The
Independent Guide to Walt Disney World 2015
go through the whole process in detail.
Express Pass at Universal allows you instant entry to almost all attractions for a fee - this
fee can be very high and up to $135 per person per day.
Leaving aside the fact that Disney's Fastpass+ is obviously a much better value as it is free,
Universal's Express Pass because of its paid nature works as a much better system to get
on rides - there is rarely more than a 10 minute wait, you do not make reservations in ad-
vance, there is no complicated system to understand, less people use it and it is available
for almost every single attraction.
Target Audience
- This is one of the most striking differences between the two resorts.
Universal Orlando caters more towards teenagers and adults; Walt Disney World targets
families and younger kids more.
Withtheexceptionofrideslike
Rock N Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, Expedition Everest,
Mission: SPACE
and possibly
Test Track
, there are few things that will get the adrenaline
rushing for teenagers at the Walt Disney World resort. Disney caters more towards the fam-
ilies with experiences such as
Soarin', Big Thunder Mountain, Kilimanjaro Safaris
and
character experiences uniting the whole family. At the same time the really small ones can
enjoy classics such as
Peter Pan's Flight
and
it's a small world
.
Universal Orlando is very different. There are a few things for the smaller ones, which we
have covered in more detail elsewhere in this guide, but for the most part it is high intensity
thrills that people come to Universal for as well as big family adventures -
The Incredible
Hulk Coaster
,
Dueling Dragons, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
and
Dr. Doom's Fear Fall
to
name but a few.
The family experiences on offer are generally more adult-oriented too:
Harry Potter and
the Forbidden Journey
and
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
are rougher than
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