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Is Universal Part of Walt Disney World

Disney Answer: No!

Walt Disney World Resort is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company. It spans approximately 25,000 acres and includes four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom), two water parks (Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Disney’s Blizzard Beach), over 25 Disney-owned hotels, Disney Springs shopping district, golf courses, and more.

Universal Orlando Resort, on the other hand, is owned by NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast Corporation. It covers about 840 acres and currently features three theme parks (Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure, and Universal’s Volcano Bay water theme park), with a fourth park (Epic Universe) opening on May 22, 2025. The resort also includes eight hotels and the Universal CityWalk entertainment district.

Close But Separate

Adding to the confusion is the fact that Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World are relatively close to each other, located in the same metropolitan area of Orlando. However, they’re about 9 miles apart – a drive that typically takes 15-20 minutes depending on traffic.

Walt Disney World is located southwest of downtown Orlando, primarily in the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista. Universal Orlando is closer to the heart of Orlando, near the intersection of Interstate 4 and Florida’s Turnpike.

Different Vacation Experiences

Each resort offers distinct experiences:

Walt Disney World emphasizes family-friendly storytelling, character experiences, and carefully crafted themed environments. The Disney experience is often described as more “magical” and immersive, with attention to detail in everything from landscaping to background music.
Universal Orlando tends to feature more thrilling rides and attractions based on popular movies and TV shows. While still family-friendly, Universal generally appeals to families with older children and teens who enjoy more intense attractions.

Can You Visit Both in One Trip?

Absolutely! Many Orlando visitors choose to experience both resorts during their vacation. However, keep in mind:

You’ll need separate tickets for each resort. There are no combined ticket options that include both Disney and Universal parks.
Transportation between the resorts isn’t provided by either company. You’ll need to arrange your own transportation via rental car, rideshare service, or taxi.
Consider your time carefully. A complete Disney World experience could easily fill a week or more, while Universal Orlando typically requires 2-3 days to experience thoroughly.

Planning Tips for Both Resorts

If you’re planning to visit both Disney World and Universal Orlando, consider these strategies:

Split your stay between resorts to minimize travel time and take advantage of early park entry perks at both destinations
Book accommodations in the “middle ground” areas like International Drive if you plan to visit both equally
Consider purchasing Express Pass at Universal and Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Disney to maximize your time in the parks
Allow for at least 4-5 days at Disney World and 2-3 days at Universal Orlando for a comprehensive experience

Understanding that Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando are separate destinations will help you better plan your Orlando vacation and make the most of everything this remarkable tourism destination has to offer.

Do You Need a Separate Ticket for Star Wars Land?

Disney Answer: No, but Kind of?

If you didn’t know already, Disney is finally building a Star Wars Land, officially known as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. This brand new Star Wars Land will be located in both Disneyland and in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World. Opening dates have been announced, Star Wars Land will open on May 31, 2019 in Disneyland and on August 29, 2019. Regular admission to each park will get you access to Star Wars Land, kind of.

Disneyland – While technically your theme park ticket will get you into Disneyland, from May 31 – June 23, 2019, it will NOT get you into Star Wars Land. During this time frame, in addition to a park ticket, you will also need a reservation.

Guests staying in one of the three Disneyland Resort Hotels during this time will get a free designated reservation to access Star Wars Land (one reservation per registered guest). You will still need a theme park ticket, but the reservation will get you into Star Wars Land once inside Disneyland.
Reservations for non-Disneyland Resort Hotel guests will be made available, though this process and how they will be made available has not yet been announced. Reservations will be free, but will be extremely limited.
Beginning June 24, 2019, a separate reservations will no longer be required.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be capacity controlled, so after June 24, you may need to stand in a very long line just to get into Star Wars Land to stand in another very long line to ride any of the rides.
Star Wars Land will not be available during Extra Magic Hours or Magic Morning at Disneyland Park, and is not available with FastPass or MaxPass services.

Walt Disney World – Disney World has decided to forgo the reservation system (they have A LOT more hotels) and just give everyone equal access. And by equal access I mean anyone that wants to wait in a 5+ hour line can have access. Capacity for both Hollywood Studios and Star Wars Land will be capacity controlled, so even if you have a ticket, you may not be able to get into Hollywood Studios, and if you get inside, you may not be able to get into Star Wars Land. As with Disneyland, there will be no FastPass+ service for any attraction in Star Wars Land.

Please note at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is opening with only one of the two main attractions available. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will be available at the grand opening while Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will not open until later in the year (or possibly 2020 at Walt Disney World).

Are Epcot Fireworks Every Night?

Disney Answer: Yes

The nightly fireworks show at Epcot is currently called IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, and starts nightly at 9:00 PM and lasts 12 minutes, subject to the weather conditions or course. Illuminations is available for viewing all around the World Showcase, just find a good spot with a decent view of the water, and you are good to go.

Illuminations has been part of the Epcot landscape since 1998, and is scheduled to be replaced later this year. Sometime in the late Summer or early Fall of 2019, Disney will introduce Epcot Forever, an interim show that will feature classic Epcot tunes, surely to be a hit with long time Epcot fans.

Sometime in 2020, the new permanent show, A Celebration of Disney Music, will replace Epcot Forever.

While no exact dates for the changes have been announced, it appears that there will not be any transition period between the shows, and fireworks will continue to be displayed every night.

Are there Disney characters at Be Our Guest?

Disney Answer: No and Yes

Disney’s Be Our Guest restaurant, located in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, is not a normal Disney character meal. Some restaurants at Walt Disney World feature Disney characters that go table to table to meet the guests, offering photo opportunities you may not get otherwise. In the Magic Kingdom, character meals include Crystal Palace and Cinderella’s Royal Table. You will notice that Be Our Guest is not included in that list. That is because Disney characters are NOT available at Be Our Guest (most of the time).

Breakfast and Lunch – For both meals, Be Our Guest is considered a Quick-Service meal, you order via a kiosk, pick up your food and take it to your table. Other than dining inside of Be Our Guest, the meal itself isn’t much different than eating at any of the other Quick-Service places in the Magic Kingdom. There are no Disney characters to be found during breakfast or lunch.

Dinner – For Dinner, Be Our Guest transforms into a Table Service restaurant, complete with waiters/waitresses, a nicer menu, and Disney characters. Well, kind of. Beast appears in his little library area (it is actually the area where you order your food for breakfast and lunch), and is available for photos with your family. Disney suggests that you meet Beast on your way out of the restaurant. Beast does not go table to table, you must go see him. And remember that this is Beast’s castle you are dining in, Belle isn’t anywhere to be found (you will have to head over to Belle’s attraction next door, Enchanted Tales with Belle in order to find her).

Be Our Guest is super popular, by far the most difficult dining reservation there is at Walt Disney World. But remember, you are not booking a character meal, so if your kids want to see characters, look elsewhere.

Does Disney’s Fort Wilderness Allow Pets?

Disney Answer: Yes

Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort is the only pet friendly resorts at Walt Disney World. If you plan on taking a pet with you to Fort Wilderness, you must request a pet site when booking. Pet sites at Fort Wilderness are located in loops 300, 700, 800 and 1600 – 1900. There is an extra $5 per day if you plan on having pets with you. The cabins at Fort Wilderness ARE NOT pet friendly, only the campsite/RV areas.

Not only is Fort Wilderness pet friendly, but there is also a huge fenced dog park, the Waggin’ Trails Dog Park located in the 300 loop. There are also designated dog paths throughout the resort that lead to Waggin’ Trails. In addition to Waggin’ Trails, there are also special “pet” walks throughout the resort where you can walk your dog. Please note that there are many areas in the resort where pets are not welcome, so make sure you know the lay of the land before taking your dog to see Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Review.

One downside, there is no kennel at Disney’s Fort Wilderness, so if you want to board your dog during the day, you will have to head over to the Best Friends Pet Care Kennel located across from Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside, less than a mile from the entrance to Fort Wilderness. Currently, Best Friends runs about $27 per day for day camp.

Can you park at the Grand Floridian?

Disney Answer: It depends

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa has a large parking lot just like any other Disney resort. Whether you can park there depends on why you want to park there:

Can you Park at the Grand Floridian?

Grand Floridian Guest – YES – If you are staying at the Grand Floridian, you can park there for free during your entire stay. At check in, you will receive a parking pass for your car, just show it each time you enter and exit the resort.
Grand Floridian Dining Reservation – YES – If you have a dining or other reservation at the Grand Floridian, you are allowed to park at the resort for a limited time, usually three hours. Please note, they do tow cars that are there for longer than three hours, and nothing can ruin a Disney vacation faster than spending a day and a bunch of cash to get your car back.
Theme Park Parking – NO – As mentioned above, if you are dining at the resort, you can stay there for three hours (but you have to have a dining reservation), otherwise, there is no theme park parking at the resort at all. You will need to park at the Transportation and Ticket Center.

Basically, if you have a reason to be at the resort, you will have access to parking (even if for a limited time). If you are tying to park closer to the Magic Kingdom and away from the crowds, don’t bother.