We’ve been living in Southern California for just over four months now, and we’ve taken several day trips to two of the most popular theme park resorts in the area- Disneyland and Universal Studios. We love both and for different reasons! Here is why we keep choosing Universal Studios over Disneyland.
Price
I honestly expected Universal to be a ‘one and done’ type of visit- but they had an offer to upgrade our one day tickets to annual passes, and the price was so good that we couldn’t turn it down. So now we are passholders. I don’t recall the exact dollar amount, but I’m pretty sure it was close to $83 per person if you did the upgrade after 2:00 PM- less than the cost of buying another one day ticket for a future visit. So right under $200 per person all in. On the flipside, the most affordable Disneyland Magic Key pass (Enchanted Key) is $699 per person. Neither of these passes are the California resident type, which is a totally different option! We just don’t qualify because you are required to show a California ID or driver’s license, which we don’t have, even though we are temporarily living and working here. Note: blackout dates do apply, and I will cover that below.
Convenience
We can get to the park in just under an hour from Ventura County, even with traffic. On the contrary, getting down to Anaheim from where we are staying is like a two hour ordeal, so any trips to Disneyland usually need to have a hotel stay involved- at least for us at this point in ours lives- convenience is everything! So the cost of one day tickets (even at the lowest tier) plus hotel adds up quickly!
The silver annual pass at Universal does have it’s blackout days, which typically fall on the weekends- days that are significantly more crowded. My current travel nurse assignment allows me to self schedule, so I typically sign up to work weekends so that way we can spend the less crowded weekdays doing fun activities we love. We’ve been going to Universal almost on a weekly basis. It’s just a great excuse to get outside, walk around, and take things in at our own pace. Pretty much what we do with our zoo and museum memberships at home, but this is a whole new level.
Lighter Crowds
Both parks have express line passes. Universal’s is more expensive but also not entirely neccessary! Universal still has slow periods with shorter wait times. Disneyland, however, seems to be constantly busy, even during the ‘off season’. The current offering at Disneyland is the Genie + package that has lightning lane access- it is an absolute must any time that you go.
The rider switch feature is also faster at Universal. If you’re not familiar with this option, it allows for a parent to stay behind and watch the child that isn’t tall enough to ride- without having to wait in line a second time when they take their turn to ride it. At Universal, they allow the whole family to wait in the queue together and then do the rider switch right there in loading/exit area of the ride. Disneyland does not allow this, and they make the second parent wait in the lightning lane line when doing the swap, so it takes much longer.
Laid Back Atmosphere
The park is not nearly as large as either of the Disney parks. This makes it a more relaxed experience. I don’t feel pressured to hit as many rides as possible or stick to a particular touring plan, or anything like that. In addition to the rides, there are two playgrounds and a large splash pad/water area where the kiddos can run around. There are plenty of places to find snacks and adult beverages to unwind at the end of the day. Lots of amazing views to take in, especially from the park’s upper lot. Characters also walk around freely, and I find them to be pretty interactive!
Overall, we adore both of these major theme parks for very different reasons- which is also relative to our current circumstances and why we keep choosing Universal Studios over Disneyland. Universal Studios ended up being a total surprise, and we are going to enjoy every bit of it while we have the opportunity!
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