Anonymous wrote:How long were you at Hard Rock? Does that hotel give you skip the line access at Universal?

DP here. Yes. Amazing resort - loved it. Now, we got a good deal at just under $300/night. I've seen it over $900/night and I don't think its worth anything close to that.

How long were you at Hard Rock? Does that hotel give you skip the line access at Universal?

We also enjoyed Universal way more than we thought we would (with our 10-year-old).

Perfect ages. We got a Disney annual pass when my kids were 7 and 10 and they were 8 and 11 by the end. They were truly the best ages on those trips.

I always advocate that the “one and done” people don’t do the 5/6 age thing and wait a bit more.

How many hotel nights did you have at each and how many ticket days at each?

Glad you had a great time, OP!

I’m so jealous! Glad you had a good time. I’m holding out hope DD will stop being scared of thrill rides so we can go to Universal in the next few years.

We used an amazing Disney Travel Agent who talked with us before we went and emphasized that it does not have to be stressful. She set us up with a whole itinerary and a ton of tips and tricks and it was so much fun. I think she also helped us set expectations too

Your kids were a good age to go.

I never thought I'd type these words, cynic that I am, but we had an amazing time - DD, DS (9 and 11) absolutely loved Volcano Bay, Harry Potter world at Uni and Islands of Adventure, and had fun in Simpsons World. Really loved Epcot -- had a delicious steak dinner at Le Cellier in "Canada" -- and good drinks at Cava in Mexico. Kids loved Animal Kingdom Everest Coaster, Tron at MK, and Guardians of the Galaxy at Epcot. Star Wars at Hollywood Studios was fun too.

We stayed at Hard Rock and then transferred to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which was truly gorgeous with exceptional food and kid-friendly buffets. Kids loved seeing the giraffes etc. One down side was a very bad meal at Disney Springs...felt like a boring outdoor mall without any of the "magic."