That Universal PIN - What do you think this means for next Disney discount?

[saskdw]

That is a general public code...anyone can use it.

40% off of a Universal resort is = to a 25% off a Disney Resort! Universals hotels are much more expensive then Disney's...

They are also much nicer than the WDW hotels.

 

[saskdw]

We have stayed at all 3 Universal Resorts and they are comparable to a Mod. at Disney.
Even club level or the suites we have stayed in.. have in no way compared to any of our stays at any Deluxe Disney resort.

Sorry, you would be in the minority with that opinion. Absolutely no way the WDW Mod resorts compare to HRH and PBH.

 

[KandyM]

Does anyone know if Universal offered a similar discount last year, or in previous years? If so, what were the stay dates? Just wondering if Disney tends to follow suit with discounts and stay dates.

That is a good question. I would be interested in the answer to that too.

 

[KandyM]

I did a quick search of the universal board and there were posts back in feb/mar of 2012 about 35% off pins. No one seemed to have posted dates though so kind of difficult to compare.

 

[saskdw]

That is a good question. I would be interested in the answer to that too.

You can always get up to 30% off With the Stay More Save More offer if you are staying 6 or 7 nights. We had a PIN last year for 40% off only at PBH. We had already booked 9 nights club level at RPR. Basically we could have stayed at PBH club level for the same price. It was tempting, but elected to stick with RPR because we always wanted to stay there and it was much closer to walk to the parks which was important to us. Obviously RPR books up quicker than the more expensive PBH and they were trying to defer some traffic. We really enjoyed the RPR resort itself, but the bigger room at PBH would have been nice for that long of stay.

 

[Tink415]

We have stayed at all 3 Universal Resorts and they are comparable to a Mod. at Disney.
Even club level or the suites we have stayed in.. have in no way compared to any of our stays at any Deluxe Disney resort.

I have to disagree with you. We've stayed at the 3 Universal resorts, and at all Disney moderate and deluxe resorts. IMHO the Universal resorts are more deluxe than the Disney deluxe resorts. The Universal resorts also have the bonus of front of the line so you can easily get lots of time in relaxing at the resort. What the Universal resorts don't have is the space to make you forget the outside world and the cute characters from childhood.

 

[tinkbyday]

I'll just throw some fuel into the fire, if you guys don't mind - we are thinking of staying at the Ritz Carlton for a couple of nights during our December trip - priced out at $279 per night with a breakfast for two each morning and a $100 per night hotel credit (dinner works for us!).

 

[KandyM]

You can always get up to 30% off With the Stay More Save More offer if you are staying 6 or 7 nights. We had a PIN last year for 40% off only at PBH. We had already booked 9 nights club level at RPR. Basically we could have stayed at PBH club level for the same price. It was tempting, but elected to stick with RPR because we always wanted to stay there and it was much closer to walk to the parks which was important to us. Obviously RPR books up quicker than the more expensive PBH and they were trying to defer some traffic. We really enjoyed the RPR resort itself, but the bigger room at PBH would have been nice for that long of stay.

I guess what me and the other poster were wondering though, is if last year Disney matched in any way the discount pattern of universal. Thereby helping us come up with a guess on Disney's next discount this year.

 

[saskdw]

I guess what me and the other poster were wondering though, is if last year Disney matched in any way the discount pattern of universal. Thereby helping us come up with a guess on Disney's next discount this year.

While I'm sure Disney is well aware of what Universal is up to I didn't see any of their promos as a direct response. I received 3 WDW PINS last year, all very similar to the public offers, just a chance to book sooner and some different dates. I see WDW's promos more about their own vacancy rate and filling rooms. Universal has 3 resorts, WDW has over 20.

 

[AquaDame]

I just wanted to chime in that I have always been disappointed with the quality of Disney's naming scheme of their hotels. Their "deluxe" is what I would put into a normal hotel with some extra themeing. Nothing more. It makes me think of a 'deluxe' room in certain hotel chains - it just means you weren't cheated on anything! But I suppose anything better would be considered a luxury hotel, such as a Four Seasons or Fairmont. I shudder to think what the price tag on THAT would be!

 

[pigletto]

We have stayed at all 3 Universal resorts in various levels of rooms/suites...they have not been nicer then the Deluxe resorts we have stayed at with Disney.

Have to disagree as well. It depends on which resorts you are comparing I guess but I'll take the Universal Hotels over several of the Disney Deluxes any day.

 

[PooohBear]

We have stayed at all 3 Universal Resorts and they are comparable to a Mod. at Disney.
Even club level or the suites we have stayed in.. have in no way compared to any of our stays at any Deluxe Disney resort.

Seriously ?!?!?! The Universal hotels far surpass most of the Disney deluxes and the moderates aren't even close to being in the same league

 

[saskdw]

Seriously ?!?!?! The Universal hotels far surpass most of the Disney deluxes and the moderates aren't even close to being in the same league

This is why that poster hasn't been back to this thread to back that statement up!

 

[saskdw]

I just wanted to chime in that I have always been disappointed with the quality of Disney's naming scheme of their hotels. Their "deluxe" is what I would put into a normal hotel with some extra themeing. Nothing more. It makes me think of a 'deluxe' room in certain hotel chains - it just means you weren't cheated on anything! But I suppose anything better would be considered a luxury hotel, such as a Four Seasons or Fairmont. I shudder to think what the price tag on THAT would be!

I understand what you are saying. Our resort of choice is CSR. I feel that it is "almost" the equivlent of the WDW Deluxe resorts at a much better price. It has a fitness center which is important to me and a few other Deluxe type Mods. Last WDW trip we stayed for 14 nights there. For me the only really big thing the Deluxe resorts offer is location. I would really like to stay at an Epcot resort, but the same stay was going to be about $3500 more at BC or BW. I don't really feel like I would have enjoyed the resorts much more than CSR, so the question was did I want to pay $3500 for the location? I like that location so much I actually thought long and hard about it. But in the end couldn't justify $3500 to be able to walk to Epcot.

 

[Momtomouselover]

When I go to Disney I enjoy the proximity of the Epcot hotels to the park or the ease of transportation of the GF or Poly but I agree the hotel is not really a "deluxe" in the traditional sense. You are paying a premium for location, ease and additional theming. I am ok with the discounted rates (rack is just too high) and those only as as long as the room quality, cleanliness, and upkeep is kept to a certain standard.

We are considering extending our trip in June and given that I'm impatiently waiting on AP rates to come out and we have never tried Universal it is really tempted to give it a go this year. I sure would like one of those Universal PINs but if the rooms are that much better AND you get a special ticket perhaps I need to go checkout the GP offer at Universal. Thanks for the heads-up!