Yes, you can do Disney World and Universal Orlando in one trip, and for most first-time families a week works well: about four days at Disney World and three at Universal, including a full day at Epic Universe. The two resorts are separate companies, so you'll buy separate tickets, and the smartest move is to budget each half on its own before you add them together. Here's how to split your days, what the tickets cost right now, and how to pay for it all without coming home to a credit card bill.
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One timely note before you pick dates: Universal's Volcano Bay water park closes for maintenance starting October 26, 2026, and is planned to reopen in spring 2027. Universal's Volcano Bay page lists a planned reopening "on or before March 24, 2027" (Universal Orlando), while more recent news reports cite April 1, 2027 (Parks Magic). Universal's dates have shifted before, so check its park hours before you plan a water park day. If your trip falls in the closure, don't pay extra for a ticket that includes Volcano Bay.
Think in parks, not days. Disney World has four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. Universal Orlando now has three theme parks, Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and Epic Universe, plus Volcano Bay (Universal Orlando).
A simple way to plan it:
Add at least one rest or pool day if your kids are young. Universal's multi-day tickets can be used on any 3 days within a 5-day window, so a rest day in the middle doesn't waste a ticket day (Theme Park Direct).
Expert tip — Alan Eskelsen, Fun Park Go: "Plan your Disney days and Universal days in blocks, not back and forth. Fewer hotel changes and fewer long drives means more energy for the parks and fewer surprise costs."
There's no wrong answer, but there are a few practical ways to decide:
For the Disney half, we recommend staying at a Disney resort. Being on property makes it easier to get to the parks and back for a midday break, which matters a lot with kids. For the Universal half, many families move to a hotel near Universal for those days so they're not commuting across town every morning.
Both resorts use date-based pricing, so your exact dates decide your price. These are current starting prices for one adult, so treat them as a floor, not a quote:
Using those lead-in prices, one adult's tickets for 4 Disney days plus 3 Universal days (park-to-park with Epic Universe) start at roughly $1,126 after Disney's sales tax is added. Multiply by your family, then check child prices for your exact dates, since kids ages 3 to 9 are priced separately at both resorts.
Prefer to buy tickets yourself? You can compare discounted Walt Disney World tickets from Undercover Tourist and discounted Universal Orlando tickets from Undercover Tourist.
Disney's prices also just went up. On October 6, 2026, Disney World raised its top one-day ticket price to $229 at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT on peak 2027 dates (WDWMAGIC). Multi-day tickets still bring the per-day cost down, which is why a combined trip often pencils out better than families expect. For the full picture, see our breakdown of Disney World 2027 ticket prices.
Expert tip — Alan Eskelsen, Fun Park Go: "Don't pay for park-hopping on both sides unless you'll really use it. Park-to-park makes a lot of sense at Universal because of the Hogwarts Express. At Disney, many first-timers do just fine with one park a day."
For families with Harry Potter, Nintendo, or How to Train Your Dragon fans, Epic Universe is often the reason to add Universal in the first place. Its worlds include Super Nintendo World, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, Dark Universe, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, and Celestial Park (Universal Orlando).
Give it a full day rather than trying to squeeze it in. Universal's parent company, Comcast, said this week that Epic Universe still has capacity challenges (Orlando Business Journal), so plan to arrive early and have a game plan for the rides your kids care about most. Our guide Is Epic Universe Worth It? includes a one-day plan.
A two-resort trip has more moving parts, so break it into buckets and fill each one from a real quote:
Expert tip — Alan Eskelsen, Fun Park Go: "The extras bucket is where two-resort trips get expensive. Decide ahead of time whether you're buying Lightning Lane, Express Pass, or neither, and put that number in the budget from day one."
Time is your best tool. When you book a vacation package (hotel plus tickets) early, you can usually spread the cost out with a payment plan instead of paying it all at once. With Fun Park Go, payment plans are available on vacation packages (here's how Disney payment plans work). Park tickets purchased on their own must be paid in full when you book.
A few habits that help:
Expert tip — Alan Eskelsen, Fun Park Go: "A payment plan turns one big number into something you can plan around each month. Families who start early almost always enjoy the trip more, because it's paid off before they go."
Yes. Four Disney days plus three Universal days fits a typical seven-day trip and gives you time for every major park, including Epic Universe.
Not for most U.S. buyers. Disney and Universal sell their own tickets. A combined Disney and Universal ticket exists for visitors from the UK and Ireland (Theme Park Direct), but U.S. families typically buy each separately.
Not until spring. Volcano Bay closes for maintenance on October 26, 2026. Universal's Volcano Bay page lists a planned reopening "on or before March 24, 2027" (Universal Orlando), though some news reports cite April 1, 2027. Dates can change, so check Universal's park hours before you plan a water park day.
It depends on your plan. Park-to-park lets you visit more than one park in a day and ride the Hogwarts Express between Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure (Universal Orlando). It's a popular choice for Harry Potter fans.
Yes, on vacation packages. With Fun Park Go, packages can be paid over time with a payment plan, while park tickets bought on their own must be paid in full.
Fun Park Go plans Disney and Universal vacations at no cost to you, because we're paid by the travel suppliers, not by our clients. We'll help you split your days, choose the right tickets for each resort, pick a Disney resort for your Disney days, and set up a payment plan on your package so the trip is paid off before you go. (Park tickets alone are paid in full.) Request your free planning consult.
Prefer to book yourself? You can book a theme park vacation package online with Funjet.
Fun Park Go is an independent travel agency in Idaho Falls, Idaho, affiliated with Travel Leaders, planning vacations since 2010. Not affiliated with or endorsed by The Walt Disney Company.
