Which is bigger Disney or Universal?

With around 840 acres, Universal Orlando Resort is much smaller than Disney World but still quite substantial in size. The resort includes 2 theme parks (Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure), a waterpark (Volcano Bay), CityWalk Orlando entertainment and dining complex, and several on-site hotels.



In terms of total land area, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is exponentially larger than Universal Orlando Resort. Disney World covers a staggering 47 square miles (approximately 30,000 acres), making it roughly the size of the city of San Francisco. It houses four major theme parks, two water parks, over 25 themed resorts, and a massive shopping district. In contrast, Universal Orlando Resort is much more compact, spanning roughly 700 to 800 acres, though this is expanding significantly with the 2025/2026 opening of Epic Universe. Even with the addition of a third park, Universal remains a "walkable" or short-shuttle resort compared to the literal city-state of Disney. While Disney wins on sheer scale and volume of attractions, Universal is often praised for its density and the ease of navigating between its two (soon to be three) theme parks and its Volcano Bay water park, which are clustered much closer together than Disney's sprawling hubs.

People Also Ask

At Universal, the wait times can be long for the bigger roller coasters, but the parks themselves are generally much less crowded. There's usually more room to space out and breathe without other guests crowding around you.

MORE DETAILS

Disneyland Resort is larger and offers more attractions compared to Universal Studios Hollywood. Disneyland Resort consists of two theme parks: Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. These parks combined provide a diverse range of attractions.

MORE DETAILS

Universal Studios Hollywood: General Admission ranges from $105-$116, depending on the day. Disneyland: General Admission ranges from $97-$124, depending on the day.

MORE DETAILS

If you're a thrill-seeker, go to Universal Studios. Disney World has many great thrill rides, like Space Mountain and Expedition Everest, but Universal Studios Florida really has the upper hand here. The thing is though, Disney only has two that are particularly intense: Tower of Terror and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.

MORE DETAILS

Another very popular question we receive is, is Disney or Universal Cheaper? And as a general rule of thumb, Universal is cheaper than Disney in almost every category, from tickets to theme park food, and the most noticeable being hotel rooms.

MORE DETAILS

As you can guess if Saturday and Monday tend to be the busiest, Tuesday tends to be the best day to visit Universal Studios Orlando. We also find Thursday to be one of the least busy days of the week at Universal Studios, with Sunday being a great weekend option.

MORE DETAILS

The main difference between Typhoon Lagoon and Volcano Bay Volcano Bay, which is a Universal park, favors more thrilling attractions, with several large water slides. Typhoon Lagoon in Disney World is geared more toward a relaxing experience. » Learn more: How much does it cost to go to Universal Studios?

MORE DETAILS

In 2021, Disney Parks and Resorts was the leading amusement or theme park company worldwide in terms of revenue, reporting a total of almost 17 billion U.S. dollars.

MORE DETAILS

No, they don't. Disney did try to acquire the rights to Harry Potter but they refused to give creative control over to JK Rowling. Warner Bros.

MORE DETAILS

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a themed area spanning two theme parks—Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida—at the Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida. The area is themed to the Harry Potter media franchise, adapting elements from the film series and novels by J. K. Rowling.

MORE DETAILS

Best Time of Year to Visit There's really no off season for Universal, but the week after Labor Day until mid-December (excluding Thanksgiving week) and January to mid-May (excluding spring break) are known for smaller crowds, cooler weather, and less humid air.

MORE DETAILS

Just like there are more expensive times, there are also times of the year when it is cheaper to go to Disney World. As a rule, January, February, August, and September are the cheapest seasons, as long as you avoid any holidays in those months.

MORE DETAILS

Additionally, as a general rule, Universal is less expensive than Disney in practically every area, including theme park meals, tickets, and hotel accommodations.

MORE DETAILS

Cons: The rides are fun however, the 3D rides have so much jolting and visual affects, if you get motion sickness in any way, these rides could make you sick. After Harry Potter, Transformers and the Studio Tour, I couldn't handle anymore than that. Everything is very expensive, including getting into the park.

MORE DETAILS

Disney World has more for younger kids. 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.

MORE DETAILS

Q: Which Universal park is best for adults? A: We find Universal's Islands of Adventure to be the best Universal Studios park for adults. It simply has the most exciting roller coasters and newest attractions.

MORE DETAILS

Go to Universal Studios, you will have a half day of thrills and spills that you would have to spend 2 days at Epcot to achieve. Epcot is also an amazing experience but it does need more than 1 visit. Agreed if you are looking for rides and thrills...

MORE DETAILS