In this post we’re going to explain some similarities and differences between two great theme park resorts in Florida—Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World. Then I’ll dive into the big question—Which is better, Universal or Walt Disney World? And yes, I (mostly) give an answer. Read on to learn all about how to decide between these two great destinations!
Things Universal Orlando and Disney World Have in Common
Let’s start by laying the groundwork with some simple things that are similar between these two theme park resorts. As I already mentioned, both are theme park resorts. Each sits on a plot of land with:
Theme parks
Water park/s
Hotels
A shopping / dining district
Both are located in central Florida in the Orlando area—just down the highway from each other, actually. It’s very easy to visit both as part of a single trip, though it’s going to require a lot of time to see all (or nearly all) of both in a single trip.
Both offer a mix of thrill rides, slower rides, and entertainment, though we’ll discuss below that they have different balances of these things.
Both are multi-day affairs and destinations in themselves. Both are…not cheap. If spending a few days on theme park rides doesn’t sound like it’s for you, these probably won’t be your favorite destinations—though you could just relax back at the hotel in either case.
This is all to say there’s no fundamental differences in what you’re getting here—these are direct competitors ultimately trying to offer you the better theme park resort experience right next door to each other. So, where do they do things differently?
Major Differences Between Universal Orlando and Disney World
Now, onto some major differences. These are the sorts of things that might make it easy for you to pick one or the other immediately.
They have different parks. Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are the parks at Walt Disney World. Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida are the parks at Universal Orlando Resort. So if you’re looking for access to something specific—say, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Islands of Adventure or Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios—make sure you book the right resort.
Disney is more expensive. Here are some example prices from a stay for four hotel nights and three days of park tickets (w/ park hopping):
Least Expensive Hotel — $863 Disney vs. $742 Universal
Most Expensive Hotel (cheapest room) — $3454 Disney vs. $2906 Universal
3-Day Ticket w/ Hopping — $479 Disney vs. $334 Universal
We also have posts going more in-depth:
Of course, the 3-Day ticket at Disney gets you access to four parks instead of Universal’s two, but either way you can have an enjoyable three days, which is why I chose this ticket as a sort of middle ground. But that brings us to…
Disney World requires longer to visit. You could spend anywhere between one and seven days at either resort and probably have a fine time, but realistically four/five full days at Disney World and two/three full days at Universal Orlando are going to be good lengths. That’s basically one full day at each theme park plus a bonus day.
You could make the case for extending your trip at either resort beyond that rule of thumb, but Disney is basically always going to take about two more full days. Two more days means two more days of ticket prices two more nights of hotels.
They’re built around different intellectual property. An obvious-but-needs-to-be-said point. If you want Harry Potter, you’ll need to go to Universal. If you want Star Wars, Disney World. Jurassic Park, Universal. Mickey Mouse, Disney World. And so on.
Disney World has more for younger kids. To be clear—our toddler loves Universal and I love visiting it with them. Universal has very few rides the toddler gets to go on, but we have tons of fun with the things we can ride, and the lower ride count relieves some stress and allows us to enjoy things like playgrounds and stores that are almost as fun for toddlers as the rides.
But we’re fortunate to get to visit these destinations with great frequency where enjoying a morning walking around the stores is often good enough for us. If you’re planning a once-in-a-few-years vacation, you probably want your little one to get to experience a variety of experiences with you, and Disney World—specifically Magic Kingdom—offers much more for the littlest ones than Universal.
I count about five rides without height requirements at the two Universal theme parks combined, compared to 30 at Walt Disney World, including 17 at Magic Kingdom alone. Even Epcot (at Disney World), a park pretty well known for its fun festival drinking culture, has seven rides without height requirements.
Universal is more thrill-focused. I think most people say “Universal is better for teenagers.” However you want to put it, Universal is more focused on thrill rides. You could quibble over what counts as a thrill ride, but I’d say the two resorts have about 15 each, with Disney’s scattered across four parks versus Universal’s two. This means someone who really cares about thrills might feel like their time is better spent at Universal (even if their trip will be shorter overall). (Read more about the roller coasters of Disney World.)
The flip side is that packing all those intense Universal rides into two days is a lot. I’m a fit 30-something year old who goes to theme parks for a living, but I’ll admit that two days at Universal doing all the rides is a lot of stress on my body.
Disney has way more entertainment. Universal has a good streetmosphere lineup, but it doesn’t have anything that can compete with Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, Frozen Sing Along, Festival of the Lion King, or even any of the animatronic shows around Walt Disney World.
Smaller Differences Between Universal and Disney World
These are differences that won’t make or break your plans but that might tip the scales if you’re undecided.
Park strategies are different. In short, Universal is less complicated to visit. Its skip-the-line system (Universal Express Pass) is much more expensive and much less complicated than Disney’s Genie+ / Lightning Lane system. It generally has lower crowds, and the smaller ride lineups make the parks a little easier to tackle once you know how to get on the heavy hitters (hint: arrive early). Universal also doesn’t have park reservations or park hopping restrictions to worry about.
Hotels. This one is tough. The hotels are different, but not in the sense that I think either is necessarily better than the other. Generally, I think Universal’s hotels are slightly better and in particular are better value since they are cheaper than Disney’s hotels. But when you look at specifics—Animal Kingdom Lodge’s savanna, the Moana rooms at Polynesian, the giant character figurines at All Star Movies—the Disney hotels have a lot more “wow.” If you’re a dining aficionado, you’d maybe even give a clear advantage to the deluxe Disney resorts.
Universal is more walkable/Disney is much bigger. There’s going to be some variance based on which hotel you’re staying at, but several hotels, CityWalk, the two Universal theme parks, and Volcano Bay (the water park) are all walkable. No matter where you stay at Disney, you’ll need to take the bus to at least two parks, and many hotels have buses to all four parks.
Disney Springs—the shopping and dining district—is a bus ride away from most everything, while CityWalk at Universal is adjacent to both parks.
Several Universal hotels have Starbucks. Maybe the smallest of small differences, but I find it incredibly convenient to grab Starbucks right from my hotel at the start of my day. (There are Starbucks in all six theme parks at both resorts, read more about Disney World’s Starbucks locations.)
Dining? Honestly I don’t know. My strong feeling is that Disney has better food and dining overall, but I’m not at all an expert in this area. Instead, I’m basically putting this here to remind you that food is a thing and if it’s likely to be something that really impacts your planning you might want to research which is of these fits your palate more.
Things That Aren’t Different
Wait, how is this section distinct from “things they have in common”? Well, these are some things that there’s a reputation for being different that we, personally, don’t really see as differences.
Magic. I absolutely do not think Disney World is more magical than Universal. I’ve had plenty of positive and negative experiences at both of these resorts. I think the Cast/Team members at both are hard working and pleasant.
“Better rides.” Everyone is going to have a preference for some rides over others, but Hagrid’s, Rise of the Resistance, Cosmic Rewind, Velocicoaster—these are all great rides. Disney has more rides, definitely, and that can factor into your planning. But it’s weird to argue that either resort has categorically better rides.
Theme. Ten years ago, maybe even five, I would have written a screed discussing the differences in approach to theme between these two resorts. I’m older now…more tired, simpler. Both have really cool lands and fun rides to go with them. Neither of these is a cheap carnival, even if small parts of each might feel like it. ;)
The Bubble. For a long time (and still), Disney World had a reputation for being a “bubble” experience—your flight would land, you’d get on Disney’s Magical Express (now defunct), enter the bubble, and everything was Disney. You’d take Disney transportation on Disney property between all of Disney’s offerings.
Universal historically hadn’t been seen as much of a bubble mostly because it hadn’t been able to justify as long visits. Now, with two good theme parks and a water park, the resort can easily fill a three or four night trip in its own bubble. Add in the fact that Universal’s hotels are cheaper than Disney’s, and maybe the bubble at Universal is even better than Disney’s these days.
Which is better, Universal or Disney World?
This is the part of the post where I give 1000 words on how you might balance all of those differences above to pick the experience that’s best for you…not.
Something about today makes me want to be a little more straightforward with this post. I’m updating this in January 2024 and I actually have a pretty straightforward set of thoughts on which is better to visit in the immediate future. (That said, everything I wrote above is still important context for making the decision that’s best for you.)
If everyone in your party is over 52 inches tall, Universal is the better pick right now. This isn’t too difficult for me, but there is a caveat. Universal is working on a third theme park—Epic Universe—and it might make sense to wait for that to open before visiting. As discussed in that post, it will sort of depend on when you can plan a return trip and what that trip would look like.
At Disney’s (bigger) size and (higher) prices, you really want to time that trip perfectly. Unfortunately, it remains true that the stress of planning a Disney World vacation is a bit more than I think anyone needs right now. There are constant rumors of tweaks to the already-complex Genie+ system. If I’m planning a once-in-a-decade trip, I’m definitely sitting on my hands when those Disney ads come across the screen.
That calculus changes a bit if you have guests under 52 inches. (I chose 52 inches, but you can look at Universal’s height requirements for specific attractions to see which have what height requirements, some are higher than 52 inches.) If you’re looking for fun for the whole family in that case, you might do better with a short trip to Disney World that intentionally doesn’t try to do “everything.”
For example, three full days at Disney World with, say, 1.5 days at Magic Kingdom, 1 day at Epcot + Hollywood Studios, and 0.5 days at Animal Kingdom could be a very nice itinerary for a visit with a little one. You won’t get to do everything—which is to say you won’t feel like you have to do everything—but you could probably hit the major adult highlights by paying for Individual Lightning Lanes, and your little one will have more than enough rides and entertainment to keep them busy.
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Disney World planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll save big $$$ along the way.
Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Don't forget to master your Disney World Genie+ and Lightning Lane strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Epcot Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Animal Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and Hollywood Studios Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.
All Your Other Universal Orlando Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Universal Orlando planning! Take a second to check out our most important content!
Just starting out? Start with our Universal Orlando Resort planning guide! If you’re considering a Universal hotel, read our Review of Universal’s Aventura Hotel!
You’ll want to know what rides the parks offer, so we’ve got a Universal Studios Florida Rides Guide and a Universal’s Islands of Adventure Rides Guide. And to know how to get on them without the long waits, read all about Express Pass at Universal Orlando Resort.
If you’d like an idea of how to plan a day at these parks, we can help there, too. Our One Day Universal Studios Florida Itinerary covers a full day at the original park, and our Universal’s Islands of Adventure One Day Plan covers that park.
Early risers always have the best theme parks days (well, we think so). Read about Early Park Admission at Universal Orlando to learn how to get an extra hour in the parks. And read about rope drop at Islands of Adventure, including getting on the brand new Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.