Suppose your time in SoCal is limited, and the family can’t decide which theme park to visit. I will help you decide whether to go to Disneyland or Universal Studios for one day. To make the pricing comparable, we choose a Disneyland/California Adventure Park Hopper ticket and a Universal Studios Hollywood Express pass. We are a party of four: two adults and two 12-year-old children. Let the fun begin!

Disney experience

Most Americans grow up with the Disney characters and movies, so the parks are more nostalgic for adults and more awe-inspiring for little kids. The “Happiest Place on Earth” is fun for all ages, the atmosphere is magical, and the variety is extensive. So is the size of the parks and typical size of the crowds.

Universal experience

More of an amusement park with attractions themed to Universal movies, there is a feeling of more action and adventure, especially for older children and adults. The much smaller footprint and unique services make for an efficient use of time.

Disney Park Hopper – worth it

Unlike the lands of Disneyworld in Orlando, one can easily go back and forth between the original Disneyland Park and its newer sibling, California Adventure. They are separated by a small plaza. With a one-day Park Hopper ticket, you can cherry-pick the best attractions, parades, shows, and dining at both parks.

Universal Express – best idea ever

This is a true “front-of-the-line” experience, allowing you to skip the long lines for a near-immediate entry. You can use it once for each attraction. It also enables special seating at shows. This might be the single best idea in the history of theme parks. We walked past the 90-minute wait at Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey to ride instantly. Later we smiled at the 120-minute line for Jurassic World, while we waited a mere 7 minutes. In short, this feature allows us to see every attraction in the park in less than a day, even in the summertime. It is costly, but absolutely worth it on crowded days. Note: purchase ahead of time, as they limit the number of Express passes to ensure the experience.

Disney MaxPass – needs rethinking

Disney has long offered the FastPass, where you can go to a kiosk next to a ride to get a pass for entry sometime later in the day using a shorter line than regular standby. It is free, but only available for some attractions. For an added cost, MaxPass moves this capability to an app on your phone, so you can acquire a FastPass from anywhere in the park(s). We were able to FastPass Big Thunder Mountain in Disneyland from California Adventure.

Unfortunately, there are many issues. The app’s design is cumbersome. FastPass is simply not available for marque attractions such as Star Wars (we waited 80 minutes in the morning). And by late morning, FastPass is no longer available at several attractions, such as Radiator Springs (we sadly skip the 2-hour wait). Even worse, we enter the FastPass line for Soarin’ Over California and still wait more than 30 minutes to ride.

Disney needs to dump the whole FastPass concept and charge for an Express pass, like Universal. It would be a win-win for the park and its guests.

Universal – more efficient

30 years ago Universal Studios Hollywood was a studio tour tram ride and some forgettable amusement park attractions. They have made the most advancements over the years, catching up to and even surpassing Disney in many ways. The park is simply more efficient. The upscale traveler will want to use priority parking, which puts you just a short walk from the entrance, where streamlined security takes only a few minutes. Contrast that with Disneyland, where priority parking at the Mickey and Friends lot only gets you near an escalator. After security, we still deal with a 20-minute wait for a tram to drive us to a location near the entrance and another 10-minute wait to enter either park. Universal’s smaller footprint and its 2-level upper/lower lot design, allows us to experience everything with considerably less walking and wait time.

Epic battle – Star Wars versus Harry Potter

In 2019, Disneyland opened an entire new land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, its biggest addition since Mickey’s Toontown in 1993. From attractions and characters to merchants and food, the land is faithful to the franchise. Even cast members role-play, almost to a fault. The blue and green milk is cool. But enormous lines and no FastPass have dampened its experience in the early going.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2016. It features both Hogwarts and the town of Hogsmeade. It is less elaborate than the Orlando version, but still fascinating. The main attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, remains one of the best technology-driven rides anywhere. And butterbeer is actually tasty.

There is no clear winner between these heavyweights.

California Adventure is unique

You can hit the highlights of this park in half a day, but that’s what makes it the perfect partner for a Park Hopper pass. When the park opened in 2001, Soarin’ Over California was the most unique ride in the world (now it alternates with a version called Soarin’ Over the World). It still is the ultimate combination of thrills, sights, and even smells. The Hyperion Theatre features Broadway-quality Disney productions, such as Frozen. And the Animation Academy is educational in a fun way. Add in Grizzly Rapids, Toy Story, Radiator Springs, and Incredicoaster, and you’ve got fun for the whole family.

Universal has the action

You can witness more live action at Universal. The 20-minute Waterworld stunt show is not to be missed. The Special Effects show and Animal Actors are both entertaining and informative. And the regular attractions, once taking a back seat to Disney, have now generally surpassed the Mouse for adventure. We take in Minion Mayhem, Transformers, The Simpson’s, Kung Fu Panda, and Jurassic World, all in a few action-packed hours.

What’s the verdict? Disneyland or Universal?

Disneyland is full of nostalgic charm for adults and wonder for little kids. It’s the magical choice if you are traveling with young children, though understand its size will have them sleeping in their strollers if you don’t pace yourself.

Universal Studios is full of action aimed more at adults and older kids. It’s the obvious choice if you are traveling without children or with teenagers. The compact layout and efficient services will enable you to experience more in a shorter period of time.

Here’s another idea. Do what we did. Allow two days, and see them both!

If you have any comments or questions please respond at the bottom of this post.