Universal Next Week - all in or take the cheap way?

jdk · Aug 3, 2015

Heading to Universal for first time next week with wife and kids. I have nothing booked (other than flight) at this point. Obviously waiting till last minute.

Dilemma is, should I bite the bullet and book a deluxe for about $350 per nite - or take the cheapo route and get a nice 4 star, such as Crowne Plaza Universal for about $100 (using hotwire) and save a few hundred dollars.

Can only stay at Universal for 3 days/2 nites.

I understand we'd get express passes with a deluxe at Univ. However, we don't feel the pressue of racing thru the parks to get it all done. Parents would only be going on a few of the rides. Express passes would mainly be for the kids.

I guess the question is, is it "worth it" to spend $250 per nite extra at a universal deluxe vs a nearby 4 star?

schumigirl · Aug 4, 2015

For me.....it's a no brainer.

Go with one of the three hotels you get EP with. If you're only there for two nights it'll absolutely be worth it.... It'll still be busy next week. I know you said you don't feel the need to commando your way round the parks, but the EP is worth its weight in gold. Not valid for Forbidden Journey, Gringotts, Hogwarts Express or Ollivanders with Potter areas.

If you could be bothered moving hotels you could book one night in Crowne Plaza then move to an onsite with EP as a one night stay will give you two full days of EP privilege.

Or there's Cabana Bay. People seem to like it. You only get Early Entry with that hotel though, no EP.

RMulieri · Aug 4, 2015

For us..Deluxe with express passes.it makes touring even leisurely that much nicer, the resorts are gorgeous and you can easily walk back to them and relax by the pool if the mood strikes you

damo · Aug 4, 2015

I wouldn't stay offsite for the whole time, but that is a decision that is very personal. Lots of people do it!

Minniesgal · Aug 4, 2015

I have done Universal many times and frankly it gets so busy i'd never ever do it without express passes.

We don't really like the onsite hotels. We find they are not really deluxe at least certainly not the rooms which are very small and feel a bit like holiday inn rooms. We prefer to stay elsewhere. We tend to buy our express passes bundled with entrance tickets on the website and find it better value.

rucifee · Aug 4, 2015

Express pass makes all the difference in the world. It looks like Crowne Plaza offers park transportation, so that's nice. Weigh the cost of Crowne Plaza with the purchase of Express out of pocket for the days you're in the park vs what you would pay to stay on site. Personally, I'd stay onsite, the Universal resorts are excellent.

damo · Aug 4, 2015

Minniesgal said:
I have done Universal many times and frankly it gets so busy i'd never ever do it without express passes.

We don't really like the onsite hotels. We find they are not really deluxe at least certainly not the rooms which are very small and feel a bit like holiday inn rooms. We prefer to stay elsewhere. We tend to buy our express passes bundled with entrance tickets on the website and find it better value.

Just for people to compare, not to argue your preferences, here are the standard room sizes in square feet for the deluxe hotels.

At Universal:
RPR --- 335
HRH --- 375
PBH --- 450

At WDW:
Wilderness Lodge --- 344
Animal Kingdom Lodge --- 344
Poly --- 415
Beach Club --- 381
Grand Floridian --- 440
Contemporary --- 394

Bluer101 · Aug 4, 2015

It's extremely hot now and rain can happen anytime. Stay onsite and you have a nice retreat during the day. Plus relaxing 3 days without go go go.

saskdw · Aug 4, 2015

Personally for us, I can't imagine going to Universal and not staying onsite. Yes the Express Pass would be very hard to live without once you're used to it, but it's really the whole package. We will be there for 10 nights in December. The short walk to the parks and Citywalk really make it a vacation destination. As others have stated the ability to walk to the parks, spend 2-3 hours there, go back to the resort for awhile and then back to the park again is priceless. Over that 10 day trip we probably won't average more than 3-4 hours a day in the parks. The rest will be spent enjoying the resort and Citywalk.

It's not just a theme park with a bunch of rides to us, it's the whole vacation package.

Minniesgal · Aug 4, 2015

damo said:
Just for people to compare, not to argue your preferences, here are the standard room sizes in square feet for the deluxe hotels.

At Universal:
RPR --- 335
HRH --- 375
PBH --- 450

At WDW:
Wilderness Lodge --- 344
Animal Kingdom Lodge --- 344
Poly --- 415
Beach Club --- 381
Grand Floridian --- 440
Contemporary --- 394

They probably seem small to us as we are a family of 5 and generally stay in a DVC 2 bedroom. However I stand by my comment that they are not really deluxe standard hotels. They really did remind me of holiday inn rooms.

saskdw · Aug 4, 2015

Minniesgal said:
They probably seem small to us as we are a family of 5 and generally stay in a DVC 2 bedroom. However I stand by my comment that they are not really deluxe standard hotels. They really did remind me of holiday inn rooms.

I guess my question would be compared to what?

Certainly you're not suggesting the Disney Deluxes are better?

sharona · Aug 4, 2015

Just a suggestion... look into buying an AP for one person and getting AP rates for your onsite hotel stay (if there are any AP rooms available for your dates). The EP really makes Universal so much more fun and relaxing, I won't go without it. Sometimes the price difference between a 3 day pass and the AP is easily made up by the cost savings on the on site hotels (20-25% off, in my experience). We have paid less than $200/night at RPR and $250/night at HRH during a holiday weekend!

IMO, the Universal hotels are more luxurious than the WDW deluxes that I have visited (AKL and YC). Being able to walk to the parks and to City Walk is also a big plus.

damo · Aug 4, 2015

Portofino Bay Hotel:

HRH:

RPR

Loews-Royal-Pacific-Resort-at-Universal-Orlando-Room-View.jpg

Grand Floridian

Holiday Inn Closest to Universal

holiday-inn-express-hotel-suites-nearest-universal-orlando_010320111052167419.jpg

There are some similarities but lots of major differences too.

Robo56 · Aug 4, 2015

Miiniesgal I have stayed at the Royal Pacific, and Portofinio Bay hotel many times. I can tell you from experience I have never had a room that reminded me of a nondescript Holiday Inn room. My rooms have always been great. I travel a lot and I am picky when it comes to hotel accommodations. I have never experienced such nice rooms and impeccable service as I have as a guest at these resorts.

schumigirl · Aug 4, 2015

Never stayed in a Holiday Inn that remotely made me feel like I was in RPR. But I have only stayed in UK holiday inns where necessary.......not my usual choice.

We are treated like family when we go to RPR and nothing in any hotel is better than that.

But some people like different things.......we had friends stay in AKV and the Poly........I wouldn't have stayed there for a pension! Not my cup of tea at all........but each to their own.

As Robo says.....impeccable service is an added bonus of these resorts.

Wouldn't stay anywhere else........

RMulieri · Aug 4, 2015

I find the Portofino very deluxe and NOTHING like a Holiday Inn

bumbershoot · Aug 4, 2015

Minniesgal said:
They probably seem small to us as we are a family of 5 and generally stay in a DVC 2 bedroom. However I stand by my comment that they are not really deluxe standard hotels. They really did remind me of holiday inn rooms.

It's hard to go from a 2 bedroom DVC to ANY resort hotel room. We went from a 2 bed at OKW to RPR. RPR felt like a closet.

But we got over it.

And Loews rooms have never felt like a Holiday Inn to me. Maybe I'm staying at the wrong Holiday Inns?

Or maybe it's been a long time since you stayed onsite there? Most people, even the deluxe snobs on the WDW side, who venture from WDW to Uni, agree that Uni/Loews Deluxe resorts are more deluxe (for less money) than WDW Deluxe.

jdk · Aug 5, 2015

Universal told me the Annual Pass "power pass" (the cheapest one) is not available at this time of year. Is that right? Thus, I'd have to buy the $334.99 AP, which for a 2 or 3 nite stay, doesn't seem like it would be worth it. (Wouldn't be using the annual pass other than this trip.)

damo · Aug 5, 2015

jdk said:
Universal told me the Annual Pass "power pass" (the cheapest one) is not available at this time of year. Is that right? Thus, I'd have to buy the $334.99 AP, which for a 2 or 3 nite stay, doesn't seem like it would be worth it. (Wouldn't be using the annual pass other than this trip.)

These are the blockout dates:

- Blockout Dates:
- Universal Studios Florida:
  - March 28 - April 10, 2015
  - June 13 - August 13, 2015
  - December 18 - 31, 2015
- Islands of Adventure:
  - March 28 - April 10, 2015
  - December 18 - 31, 2015

https://www.universalorlando.com/Theme-Park-Tickets/Annual-Passes/Non-FL-Annual-Passes.aspx

sharona · Aug 5, 2015

You must be running into the blackout dates. If you can't use the cheapest AP then probably not worth it but you'd need to check the AP room rates and then do the math to find out.

Universal Next Week - all in or take the cheap way?

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