1 night before PBH - your thoughts?

[lilsonicfan]

Hey all - we are planning to do a few days at Universal to kick off our Orlando vacation. Haven't been to Orlando since 2017!

So we've booked PBH for Sunday to Wed and have booked club level b/c we are a family of 5 and think that at the least, having breakfast and the ability to grab waters/drinks/snacks is going to be of benefit. Flights aren't yet booked but it's likely we will arrive in Orlando on the Saturday, but probably not early enough to fully enjoy a day at the parks then. Alternatively we might arrive on Sat am having flown a red-eye, so probably too tired to enjoy a full day at the parks. After PBH we are headed to WDW for another 4 days or so. PBH on the Saturday night is around $200 more than the 3 nights we already have booked there, so it seems pricey if we aren't taking full advantage of the express, etc.

Our options then for the one Saturday night are:
- Cabana Bay one night in a family suite - if we arrive in the am, we can use it as a Cabana Bay resort day - pools, bowling, and/or head out to City Walk.
- SSR b/c we have DVC points, could still do a pool day and Disney Springs

With the Cabana Bay option we would Uber from the airport to the hotel but then I guess would need to Uber over to PBH the next day too. We would likely rent a car on the last day and drive over to whichever DVC resort we are staying at for the second half. Downside is that the car rental for half the trip (pick up near Universal) is not a heck of a lot cheaper than car rental from the airport for the whole trip, esp when you consider having to Uber at least once.

With the SSR option we would probably rent a car for the duration of our trip, so we'd drive over to PBH in the morning. Downside is paying for resort parking for 3 nights at PBH and slightly more expensive car rental in general since longer duration.

I'd appreciate your thoughts!

 

[georgina]

Hey all - we are planning to do a few days at Universal to kick off our Orlando vacation. Haven't been to Orlando since 2017!

So we've booked PBH for Sunday to Wed and have booked club level b/c we are a family of 5 and think that at the least, having breakfast and the ability to grab waters/drinks/snacks is going to be of benefit. Flights aren't yet booked but it's likely we will arrive in Orlando on the Saturday, but probably not early enough to fully enjoy a day at the parks then. Alternatively we might arrive on Sat am having flown a red-eye, so probably too tired to enjoy a full day at the parks. After PBH we are headed to WDW for another 4 days or so. PBH on the Saturday night is around $200 more than the 3 nights we already have booked there, so it seems pricey if we aren't taking full advantage of the express, etc.

Our options then for the one Saturday night are:
- Cabana Bay one night in a family suite - if we arrive in the am, we can use it as a Cabana Bay resort day - pools, bowling, and/or head out to City Walk.
- SSR b/c we have DVC points, could still do a pool day and Disney Springs

With the Cabana Bay option we would Uber from the airport to the hotel but then I guess would need to Uber over to PBH the next day too. We would likely rent a car on the last day and drive over to whichever DVC resort we are staying at for the second half. Downside is that the car rental for half the trip (pick up near Universal) is not a heck of a lot cheaper than car rental from the airport for the whole trip, esp when you consider having to Uber at least once.

With the SSR option we would probably rent a car for the duration of our trip, so we'd drive over to PBH in the morning. Downside is paying for resort parking for 3 nights at PBH and slightly more expensive car rental in general since longer duration.

I'd appreciate your thoughts!

Wow that's complicated. No matter where you decide to stay the Saturday night, I would probably just get the rental car the whole trip for simplicity's sake. Save you an Uber trip, if you opt for Cabana Bay you will pay for parking there but less than PBR. Parking at SSR would be free.

Family of 5 would need a larger Uber, so cost will be higher to Uber to one resort Saturday and then to PBH Sunday. I don't think there is a perfect solution!

 

[wdwrule]

Hey all - we are planning to do a few days at Universal to kick off our Orlando vacation. Haven't been to Orlando since 2017!

So we've booked PBH for Sunday to Wed and have booked club level b/c we are a family of 5 and think that at the least, having breakfast and the ability to grab waters/drinks/snacks is going to be of benefit. Flights aren't yet booked but it's likely we will arrive in Orlando on the Saturday, but probably not early enough to fully enjoy a day at the parks then. Alternatively we might arrive on Sat am having flown a red-eye, so probably too tired to enjoy a full day at the parks. After PBH we are headed to WDW for another 4 days or so. PBH on the Saturday night is around $200 more than the 3 nights we already have booked there, so it seems pricey if we aren't taking full advantage of the express, etc.

Our options then for the one Saturday night are:
- Cabana Bay one night in a family suite - if we arrive in the am, we can use it as a Cabana Bay resort day - pools, bowling, and/or head out to City Walk.
- SSR b/c we have DVC points, could still do a pool day and Disney Springs

With the Cabana Bay option we would Uber from the airport to the hotel but then I guess would need to Uber over to PBH the next day too. We would likely rent a car on the last day and drive over to whichever DVC resort we are staying at for the second half. Downside is that the car rental for half the trip (pick up near Universal) is not a heck of a lot cheaper than car rental from the airport for the whole trip, esp when you consider having to Uber at least once.

With the SSR option we would probably rent a car for the duration of our trip, so we'd drive over to PBH in the morning. Downside is paying for resort parking for 3 nights at PBH and slightly more expensive car rental in general since longer duration.

I'd appreciate your thoughts!

Congrats on your upcoming Universal trip! Your trip sounds a lot like my first trip to Universal which was two years ago. Family of 4, but we also stayed PBH Club level and it was fantastic! We arrived late afternoon for that trip so we had booked the 2-bedroom suite at Dockside for our first night before we switched over to PBH which was very affordable and new, so everything was clean, vibrant and spacious. Dockside had 3 separate queen beds (no pull-outs) and one closed off bedroom. Just something to consider. You can only bus from Dockside to the parks but their busses are waaaayyy more efficient and frequent than Disney’s.

We were going to Uber from Dockside to PBH the next morning but saw a Mears SUV taxi waiting so we took that. We have traveled with a party of 5 several times and we just Uber or Lyft to and from the airport and to and from Disney. You can select an XL that accommodates 5 people and luggage.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Id probably just spend the extra $200 to stay the Saturday night. Would cut out the need and expense for Uber and moving hotels, and would just be easier.

 

[ClapYourHands]

An Uber from CB to PBR is like $10. You don’t need to get an XL because you don’t all have to go. When we switch hotels, usually we just send one adult with all the bags, knowing that the bell hop on the other end will help unload, put it all on a luggage rack, and bring it to the room (or store it until the room is ready and deliver it later).

My cheap advice is this: take an Uber/Lyft from MCO to CB. Unless you hit surge pricing when you land, it will probably be under $40. Then take the $10 Uber to move to PBR. Then when you’re ready to go to WDW, one adult takes another Uber back to MCO for about $40. Get your car rental there, pick everyone up from PBR and then do the WDW part of your trip, returning the car at MCO. PBR to MCO is only like 25-35 minutes each way, depending on traffic, and if you choose a car rental where you can just go to the garage and hop in and drive away without going to the counter, it can be a relatively quick round trip. The cost of those Ubers is less than 4 nights of parking at the UO hotels, and saves on the additional expense of the longer rental or the more expensive pick up.

 

[georgina]

In that case I have found competitive prices picking up a rental car at the Holiday Inn and returning at MCO. It isn’t a very long walk from city walk or PBR and saves on travel time.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Thank you all for these thoughtful replies!! Lots to think about.

 

[glocon]

Id probably just spend the extra $200 to stay the Saturday night. Would cut out the need and expense for Uber and moving hotels, and would just be easier.

Agree.

Why make it more complicated than it has to be on vacation.

Just Uber to PBH from MCO and enjoy what part of the day you have there.

And relax from the minute you get there.

You’d save money by not having a rental car to pay for and no parking fees.

So what you pay for an extra night at PBH you’d save in car fees.

 

[lilsonicfan]

So what you pay for an extra night at PBH you’d save in car fees.

Very true.
But my consideration was that I’d save even more by not having the car AND staying at a cheaper hotel for the first night.

It’s definitely worth considering all the options though! Appreciate it.

 

[mamapenguin]

Very true.
But my consideration was that I’d save even more by not having the car AND staying at a cheaper hotel for the first night.

It’s definitely worth considering all the options though! Appreciate it.

All things to consider while floating around the lazy river at Cabana Bay. If you’re considering a resort day, why not? Maybe you will really like it? I say take a chance.

 

[ClapYourHands]

Agree.

Why make it more complicated than it has to be on vacation.

Just Uber to PBH from MCO and enjoy what part of the day you have there.

And relax from the minute you get there.

You’d save money by not having a rental car to pay for and no parking fees.

So what you pay for an extra night at PBH you’d save in car fees.

Personally, I sometimes make something “more complicated than it has to be on vacation,” because I’m trying to adhere to a vacation budget. The difference between staying at CB the first night and staying at PBR (both options without car) is that the first night at CB is a $10 Uber and 15 minutes of my time vs PBR for an extra $200. Now, I personally don’t make $190 for 15 minutes of work at my job, so the transfer is worth it to me. Having an extra $190 to splurge on mini golf or a nice dinner is more relaxing, to me, than an extra night at PBR.

My mantra is that you can pay for things with your time or with your money. Some people have more money than time. Others have more time than money. The “just add money” method is absolutely a valid way to solve problems, but works better when your budget is bigger. Of course everyone had differing budgets and priorities, but there are a lot of us who are looking for ways to stretch our dollars, even on vacation.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

The difference between staying at CB the first night and staying at PBR (both options without car) is that the first night at CB is a $10 Uber and 15 minutes of my time vs PBR for an extra $200.

This is why if I book a single night at a Premier hotel for the EPs - I'm darn sure staying in it. We're 2 adults, we can easily pack up and move hotels a few times so we're not paying for 2 rooms at once. We will stay in a different hotel before & after the EP night so we can experience another resort too, so it doesn't feel dumb to go back and forth to the same one. Now, if you have a solid stay more/save more rate where you need to keep that room to maintain a significant discount, that might be different - but with AP room rates the length of stay doesn't matter.

 

[glocon]

Personally, I sometimes make something “more complicated than it has to be on vacation,” because I’m trying to adhere to a vacation budget. The difference between staying at CB the first night and staying at PBR (both options without car) is that the first night at CB is a $10 Uber and 15 minutes of my time vs PBR for an extra $200. Now, I personally don’t make $190 for 15 minutes of work at my job, so the transfer is worth it to me. Having an extra $190 to splurge on mini golf or a nice dinner is more relaxing, to me, than an extra night at PBR.

My mantra is that you can pay for things with your time or with your money. Some people have more money than time. Others have more time than money. The “just add money” method is absolutely a valid way to solve problems, but works better when your budget is bigger. Of course everyone had differing budgets and priorities, but there are a lot of us who are looking for ways to stretch our dollars, even on vacation.

I’m sorry- did not mean to offend.

 

[lilsonicfan]

@glocon I did not think you were offending at all and I'm not sure that @ClapYourHands thought that either although I of course won't speak for anyone else.

I do really appreciate the thoughts. I recognize that being on vacation is already a luxury, let alone adding in nights at a premier hotel. I totally agree that there's a money value to time, and a time value to money, and sometimes different priorities take over. In fact, I considered booking (e.g.) a Monday night and a Wednesday night at a premier, with Tuesday being at CB or a value hotel, because it's still four days of Express Pass. I decided against that, it does seem rather a hassle. I haven't ruled out the first night at CB or a value hotel though.

 

[DizKids2]

I would do the first night at CB, especially since you already have Disney at the end of your trip. Going all the way to SSR seems like you would spend a lot of time in car or Uber. Even though you have to switch hotels from CB, it won't take up a lot of your time and gets you into being at Universal. Our family has done the hotel switch to save a couple hundred $ before and it was well worth it.

 

[Sue M]

For a family of 5 I’d just stay Saturday at PBH. If I’m alone it’s less of a hassle to do a cheap hotel for first night. But with 5 imo not worth it.
We do a red eye a lot coming in from west coast. When we get to the hotel we stow luggage with bell service and go to the park. Have a leisurely morning and have breakfast etc. Having express pass is great. When we get our room ready text we’ll go back and send for the luggage. Unpack and get organized. Relax at pool before dinner. Then have an early night.

Last March I got a rental rate at MCO pickup then returning to Ft Lauderdale with Avis. We had a family wedding to go to after Universal. On my last day at PB I went down to hotel Avis desk and asked if I could pick car up there and would they honour the price. They did. It was so much easier than having to Uber with luggage to MCO to pick up car.