A full week stay at Universal?

[macraven]

Thanks again everyone! How do you all think it compares money-wise to your Disney vacations? Comparable?

it depends on the dates you stay on site for both of the resorts.
this month when i stayed at the motherland, my ap wasn't valid for some of my room stay. ended up paying $128 a night for a value room.
rest of the stay had a reduction for room rate but not a great one.


at the darkside, my ap was valid for all dates and paid $149 weeknights.
weekend rates were higher.
(uo has public discounted codes for reduced room rates, and the APH, AAA, MIL, pin codes mailed out to those registered on the UO site, etc.
check the loews website for any others you would have to call in for booking)

tickets were not an issue as i have the AP for both parks.


food costs were lower for me at the darkside than the motherland.
my disney ap only allowed a 10% discount for full restaurants, but not on the weekends, and not for all places.
it did allow for the 10% discount for shopping at dtd.
did not do much shopping in the parks except for little things here and there.


at universal, that ap allowed me on a 10% discount for all food and merch in the parks, city walk and a few of the hotel restaurants.
the darkside counter dining plan did save me money but i had to know which places to use it to make it come out that way.

last year at the motherland i did buy the quick service plan and i didn't even break even. this was due to using it on the lower end food selections.

staying at deluxe and some moderates at disney, depending on dates, could have higher costs than the 3 onsite hotels at universal overall.

staying at both resorts on the same vacation can be costly, especially if you do not use an ap or code for discounted rooms, tickets, etc.

if you are a newbie to the darkside and want to stay onsite, avoid the weekend stays to keep the hotel costs down lower.

i don't follow that as i go for 17-18 days, counting last day for travel and do weekends at both places.

i don't rent a car for my vacation and use private car service.
if you want to do both resorts, you can take the ME to disney, then do private car service from disney to universal and then back to MCO at the end of your trip.
The driver/company i use charges $100 for this rt ride.

there are parking charges per night when staying onsite at the darkside hotels.
for me, it is cheaper to use car service than pay for parking fees during my stay at the darkside and the road tolls.

tickets can take a big bite out of anyone's vacation plans.
for disney, if you don't have the AP, AAA, check the companies that sell authorized disney tickets for lower rates.
same for universal.
the preferred ap for the darkside is cheaper, especially if you can squeeze another trip back within the 12 month period.
if you buy a power pass instead of a 4 day ptp ticket, and aware of the black out periods, you will come out ahead. drawback is no discounts on hotels, food, merch with this basic pass.

i can't imagine going to orlando and not staying at both resorts.
the prices do add up when you do split stays.
if you want to cut costs, play with dates that have cheaper hotel rates.

a weekday stay at the darkside with weekend rates at the motherland might bring the costs down for you on the rooms.
but, it depends on your dates for your vacation.

i booked my darkside fall stay (12 days) at the darkside back last november.
after doing the motherland earlier this month, i ran into too many glitches with the fp experience.
this is the first time since 1992 that i am considering taking a pass at the motherland this fall unless that new system is corrected.
if i do take a pass, i won't be renewing my disney ap.

time will tell if i book the motherland this time around.

 

[housemouse]

We went for 6 days last fall and spent one of those days at Seaworld, so 5 days at USO. I still didn't see everything or do everything simply because I viewed it as a relaxing vacation this time and not an organized assault like Disney. We still stayed plenty busy though and had a wonderful time.

I'm going for 9 days this year and plan to spend all of it at Universal. Especially with the new HP open by then I don't think I'll have any problem finding something to do. I still expect it to be busier than normal for that time of year, but the unlimited express pass will take care of most waits for rides. And maybe I'll make it to the pool this year.

 

[smallworldnh]

We're DVC members, but I also find we're going to Universal more and more often. Honestly, there just seems to be too much nonsense involved with Disney now. We stay onsite at Universal and their unlimited front of the line perk can't be beat. Don't get me wrong, we love WDW, but Universal just has so much going for it; the rides are 100x better, the theming is better, etc. Disney may be classic, but Universal is cool.

I'm with you about the nonsense. I have a Disney trip already booked for September but with all this new FP+ and Magic Band "nonsense" going on, along with worry about making dining reservations, etc., I am getting ready to cancel Disney and book a Universal trip instead. I am looking at 6 nights with a side trip to Sea World thrown in and I agree, there seems to be a ton of stuff to do there for a week. Between the theme parks, the pools, City Walk with their clubs, mini-golf and movie theater - I'm sure it'll be fun and a whole lot more relaxing (and a lot cheaper!). Maybe we'll do Disney next year if things calm down!

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

We just got back from our first 3 night stay at HRH. We have taken annual trips to WDW for the last 5 years for 7-10 nights each time at Contemporary, this year will be at Grand Floridian Feb 2-9 for the first time. We really enjoyed US but 3 nights was perfect for us. There is no way I would want to spend a whole week this time of year. With the Express Pass we could basically walk on almost all the rides. We spent lots of time at the pool but we aren't the type to just lay around the hotel. I would say HRH was better quality than the CR actually. The room seemed cleaner and in better condition, but no balcony. The room was also bigger and had more storage. We stayed club level in room 7052. I would say that the food offerings and service were better at the Contemporary though. I think we will definitely make US part of annual vacation, a 3 night stay. But DD9 did comment when we were leaving IOA on Monday - "I really liked it but it's not magical like Disney"

 

[ThinkTink09]

it depends on the dates you stay on site for both of the resorts.
this month when i stayed at the motherland, my ap wasn't valid for some of my room stay. ended up paying $128 a night for a value room.
rest of the stay had a reduction for room rate but not a great one.


at the darkside, my ap was valid for all dates and paid $149 weeknights.
weekend rates were higher.
(uo has public discounted codes for reduced room rates, and the APH, AAA, MIL, pin codes mailed out to those registered on the UO site, etc.
check the loews website for any others you would have to call in for booking)

tickets were not an issue as i have the AP for both parks.


food costs were lower for me at the darkside than the motherland.
my disney ap only allowed a 10% discount for full restaurants, but not on the weekends, and not for all places.
it did allow for the 10% discount for shopping at dtd.
did not do much shopping in the parks except for little things here and there.


at universal, that ap allowed me on a 10% discount for all food and merch in the parks, city walk and a few of the hotel restaurants.
the darkside counter dining plan did save me money but i had to know which places to use it to make it come out that way.

last year at the motherland i did buy the quick service plan and i didn't even break even. this was due to using it on the lower end food selections.

staying at deluxe and some moderates at disney, depending on dates, could have higher costs than the 3 onsite hotels at universal overall.

staying at both resorts on the same vacation can be costly, especially if you do not use an ap or code for discounted rooms, tickets, etc.

if you are a newbie to the darkside and want to stay onsite, avoid the weekend stays to keep the hotel costs down lower.

i don't follow that as i go for 17-18 days, counting last day for travel and do weekends at both places.

i don't rent a car for my vacation and use private car service.
if you want to do both resorts, you can take the ME to disney, then do private car service from disney to universal and then back to MCO at the end of your trip.
The driver/company i use charges $100 for this rt ride.

there are parking charges per night when staying onsite at the darkside hotels.
for me, it is cheaper to use car service than pay for parking fees during my stay at the darkside and the road tolls.

tickets can take a big bite out of anyone's vacation plans.
for disney, if you don't have the AP, AAA, check the companies that sell authorized disney tickets for lower rates.
same for universal.
the preferred ap for the darkside is cheaper, especially if you can squeeze another trip back within the 12 month period.
if you buy a power pass instead of a 4 day ptp ticket, and aware of the black out periods, you will come out ahead. drawback is no discounts on hotels, food, merch with this basic pass.

i can't imagine going to orlando and not staying at both resorts.
the prices do add up when you do split stays.
if you want to cut costs, play with dates that have cheaper hotel rates.

a weekday stay at the darkside with weekend rates at the motherland might bring the costs down for you on the rooms.
but, it depends on your dates for your vacation.

i booked my darkside fall stay (12 days) at the darkside back last november.
after doing the motherland earlier this month, i ran into too many glitches with the fp experience.
this is the first time since 1992 that i am considering taking a pass at the motherland this fall unless that new system is corrected.
if i do take a pass, i won't be renewing my disney ap.

time will tell if i book the motherland this time around.

Thanks for this post. I too am considering a darkside only trip this fall. We love Disney, but also love HHN, and thought that it might be fun to try staying onsite for that.

I keep going back and forth about doing a split stay, thinking we'd miss the motherland, but wonder if this will be too costly.

I keep wondering also if a week at universal is too long and we'd run out of things to do, but with HHN and maybe a side trip to MNSSHP, perhaps it would be just fine. Decisions, Decisions!

 

[macraven]

Thanks for this post. I too am considering a darkside only trip this fall. We love Disney, but also love HHN, and thought that it might be fun to try staying onsite for that.

I keep going back and forth about doing a split stay, thinking we'd miss the motherland, but wonder if this will be too costly.

I keep wondering also if a week at universal is too long and we'd run out of things to do, but with HHN and maybe a side trip to MNSSHP, perhaps it would be just fine. Decisions, Decisions!

there is one thing that has changed since i posted my essay.
the power pass is eligible for the hotel discounts now.

but, only the premier and preferred passes are valid for the food and merch discounts.

if you want to do a split stay, a value resort at the motherland will help keep costs down.
tickets for either park can be steep if you are only staying 2-3 nights for their parks.

if you only stay at the darkside, you could still do a day trip and mnsshp for the motherland.

if you know the time period you want, make a ressie for the hotel now, pay the one night deposit in order to secure your hotel dates.
you can always modify your dates/plans/room rates at a later point as long as it is on the 6th day out of arrival.

 

[mischief32]

I mentioned earlier that we were going for Christmas this year but this will be our 8th trip by then to Universal. We started going to HHN 2 years ago and we are addicted(it is a couples trip for us). Already booked flights yesterday when Jetblue came out with fares this far out. Last year me and my daughter(7) took a trip in August. Hot but doable with lots of water breaks. She actually preferred more time at the pool(HRH) then the parks. My husband usually does not like to do Universal twice on a year but I have changed his mind for this year. We have been during December before but earlier in the month so we know what to expect and it so makes me feel like Christmas. I can not wait until December but at least I get my fix in September. HHN and Grinch here we come. We like a nice rlaxing vacation and I feel that Universal provides that. When we went Disney for 2 years on a row it was like a commando trip. We will do Disney again so time but it is so expense compared to Universal. You can get good prices on the room but the ticket prices kill me. I am definately a Universal thrill ride kind of girl.

 

[Poly-Anna]

We went for 6 days last fall and spent one of those days at Seaworld, so 5 days at USO. I still didn't see everything or do everything simply because I viewed it as a relaxing vacation this time and not an organized assault like Disney. We still stayed plenty busy though and had a wonderful time.

I'm going for 9 days this year and plan to spend all of it at Universal. Especially with the new HP open by then I don't think I'll have any problem finding something to do. I still expect it to be busier than normal for that time of year, but the unlimited express pass will take care of most waits for rides. And maybe I'll make it to the pool this year.

We are skipping WDW this summer because of high ticket/room prices and FP+ and doing 9 nights at Universal, staying at Portifino. Will have plenty to do with Diagon Alley opening, Cabana Bay and its lazy river and bowling alley, mini golf, movies plus will go to Seaworld and Aquatica for a couple of days using the resort shuttle. It will be very relaxing due to Universal's resort Express. Not the insane pace of WDW. Can't wait!

 

[tlady]

We stayed a full week at Hard Rock hotel at Universal and loved every minute of our trip. Had never been to either of the Universal parks before, so everything was new and SO MUCH FUN. You will LOVE the "front of the line" privileges. It makes a MAJOR difference in ride wait times. It's much better than Disney's FP system, IMO. And with the strict limitations that Disney has now imposed on its new FP+ system, there really is no comparison. At Universal, we never had to wait for a ride, except one time late in the day on Spiderman when we waited 15 minutes. Staying at a Universal hotel is definitely teh way to go. You cannot "front of the line" on Harry Potter or on Rip Ride Rocket, but you can on every other ride and you can use it without limit all day long.
I found Universal to appeal more to older teens and adults who are looking for a bit more of a thrill than most of the Disney rides offer. Disney's theming is better, but Universal's rides are better. Again, this is just my opinion.
We were not bored with a week at Universal, though we did spend 1 day of that week at MK. We have been to WDW 7 times and Universal once, but I really liked Universal and we are returning there this April.
Have fun!

 

[tlady]

Disney is much more expensive. Park tickets are more, cost of a room is more (I'm comparing a deluxe Disney resort vs. Portofino), and the food costs more.
But the biggest difference is the ability to ride almost without limit at Universal, whereas at WDW you now have the nonsense of FP+ which is a big negative for us.

 

[tlady]

I agree about the Disney "nonsense". The changes made to FP are horrendous, IMO. Way too limiting, since we are big "ride" people.
Our first and only trip to Universal was MUCH more relaxing than any trip we have taken to WDW and we've been to WDW 7 times. Planning a WDW trip now, with the new FP system, is like a military campaign. Universal's "front of the line" program is far superior.

I do love Disney, but am finding it increasingly difficult to justify the extra costs and stress involved, coupled with far fewer chances to ride our favorite headliners.

More and more, Universal is coming out ahead in my estimation.

 

[RMulieri]

We stayed a full week at Hard Rock hotel at Universal and loved every minute of our trip. Had never been to either of the Universal parks before, so everything was new and SO MUCH FUN. You will LOVE the "front of the line" privileges. It makes a MAJOR difference in ride wait times. It's much better than Disney's FP system, IMO. And with the strict limitations that Disney has now imposed on its new FP+ system, there really is no comparison. At Universal, we never had to wait for a ride, except one time late in the day on Spiderman when we waited 15 minutes. Staying at a Universal hotel is definitely teh way to go. You cannot "front of the line" on Harry Potter or on Rip Ride Rocket, but you can on every other ride and you can use it without limit all day long.
I found Universal to appeal more to older teens and adults who are looking for a bit more of a thrill than most of the Disney rides offer. Disney's theming is better, but Universal's rides are better. Again, this is just my opinion.
We were not bored with a week at Universal, though we did spend 1 day of that week at MK. We have been to WDW 7 times and Universal once, but I really liked Universal and we are returning there this April.
Have fun!

Rip ride rocket now takes express and has since last year.The only things that dont are: Forbidden Journey , Ollivanders wand show and Pteranodon flyers

 

[hayleyp]

We are a family of 5 (DS 14 DS 12 DD 10) and go for a full week almost every Spring Break. Every year we say we are going to try a different Universal Hotel because they all sound great; but we have always stayed at HR (and will again this yr.) Honestly, we never run out of things to do!! We LOVE the pool & all the fun activities at HR and spend a few days just lounging. We are only going into the parks 3 days this trip, but will blow it out on those days. Our family takes full advantage of early morning hrs. This is the first year we are not staying club level. We decided to spend the extra $100 a day eating at the awesome restaurants, playing mini golf, & watching a movie or two at City Walk. I'm planning to pack a full suitcase of grab and go breakfast foods. We are also planning to stop by the grocery store for a few extra items (disposable cooler, beer, wine, chips, milk, etc.). A full week at UO is perfect for us. We come home rested and feel like we really got to relax and enjoy being together as a family.