How much is staying onsite *really* worth?

[sbevione]

Forgive all my many questions today!!! I've noticed that in the last few weeks, the onsite hotel rates have come down quite a bit. There is now a $564 difference between staying at the RPR vs. the Doubletree at the Entrance that we currently have booked. It is really worth $564 to stay onsite, considering that squeezing our budget to do that would hurt quite a bit? We could possibly eliminate renting a car, which would then reduce the difference to a very manageable $101 (when factoring the cost of the car rental and the costs of parking) - but then we would have to figure out transportation to and from the airport and to and from Sea World/Aquatica. RPR has shuttles, I believe, does anyone know anything about these?

Also, is it even possible to change a reservation that has already been completely paid for?

 

[sbevione]

Eh... never mind. After talking to the Universal representative and factoring tax, and the cost of shuttle transportation from the airport the price difference even without renting a car is $468. Adding in no refrigerator in the room, and no car to go to get groceries for cheap breakfasts and snacks I think we will stick with the Doubletree. Sigh... I wish I could justify RPR *and* renting a car, but I just can't.

 

[ky07]

Eh... never mind. After talking to the Universal representative and factoring tax, and the cost of shuttle transportation from the airport the price difference even without renting a car is $468. Adding in no refrigerator in the room, and no car to go to get groceries for cheap breakfasts and snacks I think we will stick with the Doubletree. Sigh... I wish I could justify RPR *and* renting a car, but I just can't.

I have stayed at the Doubletree a few times and its a nice hotel but have stayed at RPR last 3 years and yes it well worth the extra you pay but like you our budget doesn't allow us to stay there this year and we are are staying at the Holiday Inn Main Gate to Universal and had to cut our vacation by 3 days this year but at least we will be there this year

 

[Metro West]

Eh... never mind. After talking to the Universal representative and factoring tax, and the cost of shuttle transportation from the airport the price difference even without renting a car is $468. Adding in no refrigerator in the room, and no car to go to get groceries for cheap breakfasts and snacks I think we will stick with the Doubletree. Sigh... I wish I could justify RPR *and* renting a car, but I just can't.

I think you will enjoy the Doubletree just fine. It's nice staying onsite for the unlimited Express and early entry for WWoHP but you're still pretty close to the parks. You should check with the hotel to see if they have a shuttle to SeaWorld and you aren't far from groceries. There is a Walgreens on the corner and a Publix further up...you would need to drive there though...it's too far to walk.

 

[sbevione]

I think you will enjoy the Doubletree just fine. It's nice staying onsite for the unlimited Express and early entry for WWoHP but you're still pretty close to the parks. You should check with the hotel to see if they have a shuttle to SeaWorld and you aren't far from groceries. There is a Walgreens on the corner and a Publix further up...you would need to drive there though...it's too far to walk.

Thanks Metro! At least we do still have the early entry for WWoHP - it was mostly just the Express and the great pools/atmosphere at RPR that I was wanting. What street is the Publix on, Kirkman?

 

[Metro West]

Thanks Metro! At least we do still have the early entry for WWoHP - it was mostly just the Express and the great pools/atmosphere at RPR that I was wanting. What street is the Publix on, Kirkman?

Publix is in the Kirkman Oaks Shopping Center on the corner of Kirkman and Conroy-Windermere. It's about a five minute car ride but more like 15 minutes walking...plus you would have to carry all that stuff back. Not fun.

 

[sbevione]

Publix is in the Kirkman Oaks Shopping Center on the corner of Kirkman and Conroy-Windermere. It's about a five minute car ride but more like 15 minutes walking...plus you would have to carry all that stuff back. Not fun.

We'll have a car since we are staying at the Doubletree. I was only going to forgo the car rental if we were switching to RPR. So we'll be able to go to Publix and save money on breakfast and snacks (trying to come up with good things about us not staying onsite )

 

[Belle & Ariel]

It appears that Hertz has a rental facility at RPR. I did a search for rental locations through Orbitz and recognized that address. I would bet the other 2 onsite hotels have one too. On Orbitz the rate mid July was about $100 but you might find discounts through AAA, Entertainment, or other sites.
You can rent a car at the airport for one day which will get you to the resort. On the way you can stop at the grocery store and get anything else you need. If you want to go to outlet malls or any other sightseeing, do it and then leave the car at the drop off at the resort. You can do another one-way rental if need be to get back to the airport or try Super Shuttle.
Hope this helps.

 

[hpfan100]

off site is ok! i did it last year right after the opening of potter world and survived. i had a great time and was able to ride everything I wanted over the three days I was there.

 

[Badge]

Well, if the car costs a lot and you want to stay at RPR while still getting a Publix stop, I highly suggest FLTours.com. We just got done using them for the first time last trip and it was SOO nice. For $119 roundtrip, we got a free 30 minute Publix stop to get food and stuff. This allowed us to get the food we wanted without having to rent a car and pay the $15 a night parking fee at the hotel. Once we arrived at the hotel, we payed the first driver and he gave us a slip of paper with our return information on it. The pick up time was 2 hours before our flight, but you can change it if you want more time. Then on the way back, the driver called us as he was pulling into RPR and we meet him outside. Since we had already paided the first driver, only a tip was given to the 2nd driver. It is a really great service for people wanting to get back and forth form the airport but still want a stop for food.

If it is still out of your budget, staying offsite is just fine! You will still be able to get into HP early from the sound of things. No matter what hotel you stay at, you will have a great time. It is nice to have the express and boat service however...

 

[Planogirl]

Does the Doubletree charge parking or resort fees? I'm still looking to book an offsite place and that is factoring heavily into my decision.

As for onsite, we can't do it either this year. I agree that it would be nice but I know that it isn't necessary.

 

[dd50]

I stayed with a partner hotel (Crowne) and it was fine. Just make sure that you take advantage of the early entry. I would have loved to stay onsite but my budget said NO!

I am hoping to stay onsite next time we go.

 

[damo]

Does the Doubletree charge parking or resort fees? I'm still looking to book an offsite place and that is factoring heavily into my decision.

As for onsite, we can't do it either this year. I agree that it would be nice but I know that it isn't necessary.

Doubletree does charge for parking.

And to anyone else reading this thread...just a reminder that unless you've booked a package with Universal, you don't get early entry either. Just booking a stay through Doubletree or any other partner's website will not give you early entry.

 

[ToyStory]

My advice to you is to get to the parks early. We stayed at RPR and were at IOA opening at 7:00. We were done with Harry Potter area by the time the park was opening to the general public. We were leaving the area when the mass of people were entering the area. All the other rides in the park were basically walk on and we didn't need to use our FOTL access. Our last day we were done with IOA by 10:00 and moved on the US.

If you don't have the ability to get into parks early, I would ride all the other rides and do HP last. Oh we didn't do Olivanders since we aren't big Harry Potter fans.

 

[reelmom]

I can't justify staying onsite to my husband. So, if we stay offsite without early entry, for 5 days in the park, we should be able to see everything, right? We have been before years ago but kids are really into Harry Potter and want them to get to do everything there.

 

[Planogirl]

I can't justify staying onsite to my husband. So, if we stay offsite without early entry, for 5 days in the park, we should be able to see everything, right? We have been before years ago but kids are really into Harry Potter and want them to get to do everything there.

You should be fine. Just be prepared for large crowds particularly in and around Hogwarts.

 

[torinsmom]

Did you get a package through Universal to get early entry with a partner hotel? If you did, stick with what you have.

I am staying at the Holiday Inn Maingate at Universal for 2 nights before our Disney trip. It is a partner hotel, but I booked through Priceline, so we won't get the early entry. I got it for $45/night though so

This will be our third trip to Universal. The first time we stayed offsite for 7 days and we did fine without early entry or Express passes. We just got there before official opening and rode the busiest rides first. We also used the single rider lines for the rides it was available.

Last year, we did one night at RPR and I was not impressed. We loved the Express feature, but our room was smaller than the Priceline room we had at the Ramada the night before. We had to pay for wireless internet, which we finally got to work(spent an hour on my cell phone with the guy trying to get it to work). I didn't use the room phone, because that had extreme static the whole time we were there. The desk said it was b/c of a thunderstorm but it never got better. I just expected more for $300. Our offsite condo was only $500 for the whole next week.

Depending on the tickets you're buying and whether you may go back next year, it might be worth it to buy one AP. You would then get a 15% discount on your other tickets, as well as free parking. That's what we decided on, although I got APs for both of us. We're going back next year!

 

[tink20]

Would you consider a split stay, first half at RPR, and second half at DT. (we stayed one night at Hyatt Place, there is no charge for parking, free cont. breakfast, and you could walk or use their shuttle 2 in the am, and 2 in the pm)

Whatever you decided, I hope you all have a wonderful time!

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

You'll have a great vacation regardless but just to answer your initial topic question, staying on-site really is worth "it."

The Loews resorts are worth the price on their own, plus the location is unbeatable, and the unlimited Express perk during busier times is absolutely priceless.

I can't afford to do it on every trip (and pin codes have just made it possible more than once), but I think we'd all agree on here that it is hands down the best way to go.

 

[sahm2two]

I am staying at the Holiday Inn Maingate at Universal for 2 nights before our Disney trip. It is a partner hotel, but I booked through Priceline, so we won't get the early entry. I got it for $45/night though so

How far out did you book to get that price?? Did you name your own price or did they offer that through Priceline? I'm going in January, so I'm still in the planning stages and trying to decide what hotel to stay at. We've decided we can't afford the on-site hotels, but would love to stay at one of the ones that are within walking distance. That price is awesome!