Universal had cool themed restaurants, but I found I preferred Disney's food optionsWe loved the pink doughnut with sprinkles from Lard Lad Donuts. Timothy Moore When it came to food, Universal let me down a little bit.We ordered food from Toadstool Cafe, Hog's Head Pub, and multiple restaurants in the Simpson area and I found a lot of it felt overpriced and a bit lackluster.For example, the decent fish and chips at Hog's Head cost me $19. I'd much rather grab a tastier fish-and-chips platter for just $13.50 while walking around Disney's Epcot World Showcase.Although the restaurants and dishes we tried had excellent theming, the only food we really enjoyed was the giant pink doughnut with sprinkles from Lard Lad Donuts.In this category, I felt Universal was overshadowed by Disney parks, which are great for foodies with fantastic sit-down restaurants, creative snacks, and festivals throughout the year that celebrate food.In general, I felt some of Universal's prices were a bit high.Disney isn't cheap, but neither was Universal. Timothy Moore Universal Studios Hollywood and Disneyland have comparable ticket prices that both start at just over $100 a day.However, Universal felt more expensive than even nearby Disneyland. Although neither park is cheap, I found myself quickly blowing through my budget at Universal.For example, the interactive wristbands for Universal's Super Nintendo World which are considered essential to truly experience the land felt expensive at over $42 each.Worse, some of the wristband-related technology didn't seem to be working correctly both times I rode the Mario Kart ride. My group also encountered tech issues with a few games around the land. Disney isn't perfect, either, and I know issues and glitches can happen with any attraction, but I still felt let down, especially because I'd paid so much for my wristband.The band felt especially pricey compared to Disney's MagicBand+, which starts at $35. These bands allow visitors to interact with special elements throughout all Disney parks not just one land and aren't essential to fully enjoying a visit. There are too many screen-based attractions at Universal for my liking.We found the Krustyland area had a dizzying screen-heavy ride. Timothy Moore Friends had warned me that Universal was packed with screen-based rides and that my husband, who gets severe motion sickness, would have little to do.They were right. Of Universal Studios Hollywood's 13 attractions, roughly half rely heavily on screens. Even the World-Famous Studio Tour inserts screens into a few portions of the experience.Although I absolutely loved some of these attractions, I wish there had been more variety.Disneyland also has screen rides, but the park is also packed with coasters, dark rides, and more traditional screen-free attractions, like carousels, Ferris wheels, and trains.I was disappointed by Universal's lack of parades, but the park had great character experiences.Some of the character encounters in Universal blew me away. Timothy Moore Although Universal had some performances and shows on offer, I was sad not to find a single parade during my visit. At Disney parks, there are usually multiple parades each day.However, I must give Universal kudos for its random character encounters. I felt like I experienced more here than I usually do at Disney.I especially loved the raptor encounter in the Jurassic Park area, where guests interact with a giant dinosaur accompanied by a cast member who teaches them about the creature.I also liked the wand experience at Universal, which felt accessible and fun.Any guest can participate in buying a wand at Ollivanders. Timothy Moore Another highlight of visiting Universal was going to the Ollivanders wand experience at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.Although the interactive show is short, it's free for all guests, and no appointment is required.You have to pay if you want to purchase a wand (and they're expensive at $65 a pop), but the actual wand-selecting experience is cool in its own right.It kind of reminded me of the lightsaber-building experience at Savi's Workshop at Disney. Although the experience is more immersive and includes a saber, it also requires a $250 reservation and you can't simply watch the process for free. In my opinion, Universal has a better security experience.We didn't spend long going through security at Universal, but it felt quite thorough. Timothy Moore Disneyland's security process makes me feel fairly safe, but Universal Studios Hollywood's felt like it was on a whole other level.The bag and body scanners at the entrance reminded me of what I might find at the TSA at an airport.Although Universal's process felt more thorough, it was also faster. We spent less time going through security here than we usually do at Disney.Universal's Express Pass is an incredible value especially compared to line-skipping options at Disney parks.Universal's Express Pass is an incredible value. Timothy Moore When it comes to add-on line-skipping services, Universal's blows Disney's out of the park.Universal's Express Pass is expensive but absolutely worth the cost. They vary in price but start as low as $199, which includes the cost of admission to the park.With our passes, we were able to ride everything in the park without waiting for even a second seriously, we walked right onto each attraction and we didn't have to plan our day around specific entry times.On the other hand, Disney's comparable skip-the-line program, Lighting Lane, is expensive and has multiple tiers that can be confusing to navigate.The most expensive option, the Premier Pass, starts at about $300 per person per day at Disneyland, which doesn't even include park admission.Although there are cheaper options for the skip-the-line service at Disney, I don't find they're of great value: You'll still wait in several lines and probably spend the day on your phone trying to plan your next steps while inefficiently walking around the park.I had fun, but I wasn't completely sold on Universal by the time I'd left.Universal Studios Hollywood had some cool experiences and games, but I wasn't 100% impressed. Timothy Moore There are things I love about Universal, and being immersed in two of my favorite franchises (Mario and Harry Potter) was a dream come true.However, Disney parks feel even more immersive and two days at Universal was more than enough time for me.In my opinion, nearby Disneyland is an overall better value than Universal Studios Hollywood, especially when looking at food choices and the variety of attractions. Still, I look forward to someday checking out Universal Studios Orlando as it's much bigger, and I've heard it's even better than the Hollywood park.Until then, though, I'll get my magic at Disney.