Are onsite hotels worth it?

[spima3]

Anyone want to take a crack at answering this question? I would really like to know if it's WORTH staying on site?

IF you're going in the busy season I can see you would pretty much have to do so or not bother going to US/IOA to begin with.

However, if it's not a busy time, say Sept or Oct, what is the benefit of spending so much money?

I don't care about the pools or how nice the hotel is, not interested in the terrific restaurants, or the convenience of the walk.

So the only benefit I see is the FOTL. Is it really that busy during this time period that you NEED FOTL?

Thx so much.

 

[tfoster]

Anyone want to take a crack at answering this question? I would really like to know if it's WORTH staying on site?



Thx so much.

We've never been to Universal before, but I can tell you that for our first trip this December, we are staying on-site because we DO care about being in a nice hotel, the pool, the restaurants, and the ability to walk to the parks. If we didn't want to make the actual hotel itself part of our vacation, we'd definitely be staying off-site and then just buying the express passes if the parks were unbearably crowded.

 

[Stacy's a freak]

I'm with Spima3. I just can't justify spending $250-$300 per night when I can get 3 nights at Doubletree at $79 per night. So I have this same question. I am considering buying at least one day of an express pass or maybe this VIP pass ... I'm just now looking into this because I am going the Friday, Saturday, Sunday after Thanksgiving and I think it will be crazy busy then (since Disney usually is).

Edited to say that the only VIP item I have found is a VIP tour which is not really what I want.

 

[damo]

I'm with Spima3. I just can't justify spending $250-$300 per night when I can get 3 nights at Doubletree at $79 per night. So I have this same question. I am considering buying at least one day of an express pass or maybe this VIP pass ... I'm just now looking into this because I am going the Friday, Saturday, Sunday after Thanksgiving and I think it will be crazy busy then (since Disney usually is).

Edited to say that the only VIP item I have found is a VIP tour which is not really what I want.

If you've got 4 people in your room, those express passes in busy time will add up to pretty much the cost of the room. If you are paying upwards of $60 per day for each person, you are better off to stay onsite. Onsite will get you two full days of unlimited express.

 

[Stacy's a freak]

If you've got 4 people in your room, those express passes in busy time will add up to pretty much the cost of the room. If you are paying upwards of $60 per day for each person, you may as well stay onsite.

Very good point for a family of 4. But in my case, there is only two adults. Thanks though!

 

[disneybound31]

so how much does a standard room cost usually at RPR? when i search for prices I get the the dates are unavailable and i cannot see a price...I've heard $269/night and PP stated $149 night... i would pay $149/night , i think for all the perks and we usually stay at Disney values with a code and love them- esp the low price...but i understand the universal experience is different and calls for a different game plan...

 

[TaylorsDad]

Very good point for a family of 4. But in my case, there is only two adults. Thanks though!

Also remember you get 2 days fotl with only one nights stay. If you were paying $60 per person for 2 days express pass instead of one that would be a whopping $240 for something that someone staying onsite is getting for free.

 

[bkfree]

Is it "worth" it? Well that is so subjective because people assign different value to different options.
For us, a family of 4 , 2 adults and 2 kids ages 9 and 11, we learned with multiple trips to WDW, that staying onsite works for us.
For my husband, not having to drive tot he parks or to eat lets him have a much more relaxing vacation. We also feel like we get more in the way of time management by being able to walk or use park transportation from the hotel to the parks.
It also works great if one parent and kid wants to hit the pool while the other parent/child want to ride some of their favorites again. It is easy to split up when staying onsite.

We will be venturing to US/IOA for the first time on Sept.4. After much reading and research we made our ressies at PBH and got a great $167 a night rate. For us the FOTLP is just a bonus and did not really factor into our decision to stay on site, but one we are really happy about.
Being able to walk or ride the boat to the 2 parks, the restaurant option at the hotels and City Walk and the fun of pool hopping (which is not allowed at WDW) sounds like it will be a fun and relaxing vacation for kids,Mom and Dad.
And I think it will run below the cost of WDW for the same amount of time.
We are planning to venture off property to go to Sea World!

 

[damo]

so how much does a standard room cost usually at RPR? when i search for prices I get the the dates are unavailable and i cannot see a price...I've heard $269/night and PP stated $149 night... i would pay $149/night , i think for all the perks and we usually stay at Disney values with a code and love them- esp the low price...but i understand the universal experience is different and calls for a different game plan...

It all depends on when you stay and for how long you stay. If you stay for 5 nights or have an annual pass you can pay as low as $134/night.

Remember that all of the hotels at Universal are deluxe hotels, so $134 is an excellent rate.

 

[LittleBoyBrew]

Just returned from six nights at RPR. There is absolutely no way I would consider attending Universal in the summer heat without FOTL pass and early access to WWOHP. If you don't have that I would guess you will wait twice as long in the lines and still see less of the parks than someone staying on site.

I think you can do a very good job of seeing most everything in UO in 2 days if you start early both days. Is that worth one $200 hotel room? I think so. YMMV.

 

[spima3]

Just returned from six nights at RPR. There is absolutely no way I would consider attending Universal in the summer heat without FOTL pass and early access to WWOHP. If you don't have that I would guess you will wait twice as long in the lines and still see less of the parks than someone staying on site.

I think you can do a very good job of seeing most everything in UO in 2 days if you start early both days. Is that worth one $200 hotel room? I think so. YMMV.

I really do appreciate everyone's response, but amazingly no one has answered my question yet.

Is IOA/US so terribly busy in Sept or Oct that it requires FOTL in order to enjoy the parks?

 

[mjohnson96]

I really do appreciate everyone's response, but amazingly no one has answered my question yet.

Is IOA/US so terribly busy in Sept or Oct that it requires FOTL in order to enjoy the parks?

I did respond to your thread on another post. With WWOHP it is going to be a toss up. In the past after labor day and before HHN starts it will slow down but then pick back up again during HHN times, especially the weekends.

With WWOHP I don't know now, seems things are starting to get to a manageable level but it could still be busier than normal.

 

[Lewisc]

I really do appreciate everyone's response, but amazingly no one has answered my question yet.

Is IOA/US so terribly busy in Sept or Oct that it requires FOTL in order to enjoy the parks?

I generally only answer posts when I can provide accurate information. The exact dates matter. I'd expect some crowds on Labor Day Weekend and Columbus Day weekend. Weekends might be crowded, Florida residents might want to visit HP after the summer rush is over..

We don't know what impact HP will have on overall park attendance. Any answer based on previous years crowd levels is nothing more then speculation.I don't think it will help your planning if posters do nothing but speculate.

Based on past years crowds guests staying during non-peak days should be OK without Express Pass/FOTL. Remember park hours aren't as long. You can probably do one park a day as long as you get there at park opening.

A person who puts zero value in the experience of staying at a deluxe hotel might not think onsite is worth the money. You can still get a good deal on 7 (maybe 14) day tickets. It sounds like you'd be happier spending an extra day at the parks rather then spending the money on the hotel.

 

[DisneyDadDave]

which hotels merit the use of express pass at universal?

 

[damo]

which hotels merit the use of express pass at universal?

STaying onsite at Hard Rock, Royal Pacific and Portofino will give you unlimited express.

 

[spima3]

I generally only answer posts when I can provide accurate information. The exact dates matter. I'd expect some crowds on Labor Day Weekend and Columbus Day weekend. Weekends might be crowded, Florida residents might want to visit HPafter the summer rush is over..
We don't know what impact HP will have on overall park attendance. Any answer based on previous years crowd levels is nothing more then speculation.I don't think it will help your planning if posters do nothing but speculate.
Based on past years crowds guests staying during non-peak days should be OK without Express Pass/FOTL. Remember park hours aren't as long. You can probably do one park a day as long as you get there at park opening.

Excellent post, thank you, and yes, even speculation is a good thing, Doesn't planning for a trip to US or WDW always entail some speculation?

A person who puts zero value in the experience of staying at a deluxe hotel might not think onsite is worth the money. You can still get a good deal on 7 (maybe 14) day tickets. It sounds like you'd be happier spending an extra day at the parks rather then spending the money on the hotel.

You are 100 percent correct. That is exactly what I did.

 

[Lewisc]

Excellent post, thank you, and yes, even speculation is a good thing, Doesn't planning for a trip to US or WDW always entail some speculation?

Planning is done by looking at previous crowd levels. HP has dramatically changed the crowd levels at Universal. Past strategy may (or may not) apply.

 

[WheelCEO]

yes, it's the All Star suite.

IMO, the all star suites are not even as nice as a standard room at the royal pacific.. don't let the word "suite" fool you.

 

[indimom]

However, if it's not a busy time, say Sept or Oct, what is the benefit of spending so much money?

I don't care about the pools or how nice the hotel is, not interested in the terrific restaurants, or the convenience of the walk.

So the only benefit I see is the FOTL. Is it really that busy during this time period that you NEED FOTL?
I get where you are coming from with your question, and can't really answer the crowd question, but thought I'd throw in my 2cents.
We are a family who stays in values at Disney, stays in about $70 a night accomodations or tent camps on other trips. We did 2 nights (with a discount) for $350, Christmas 2008, at RPR for the express passes - we had no interest in the pools/hotels/proximity either. We are average joes and didn't really care about the amenities, just didn't want to deal with the massive holiday crowds.
We are talking about going back next year and have already decided we are staying on-site. No doubt, no discussion, no debate. We will only go when we have enough saved to do it this way.
I really can't come up with the words to explain the "value" of this. Would it be cheaper in dollars and cents to stay longer at a cheaper hotel to get in the same attractions at the parks. Maybe, but you have to include things like parking and gas and dining for those extra days which can add up quickly. And you only get one ride per attraction with the purchased FOTL passes.
And there is just no way to describe how wonderful it was staying on-site. The hotel, the room, the pool, the staff, the water taxi/walking path/proximity to everything, the express pass, riding MIB over and over again when the line was 60-90 min. long. It all just added up to something fabulous that we don't get to experience every day. Well worth it to us. Can't wait to get back.

 

[brenda1966]

I keep asking myself the same thing..... is it worth spending nearly $250 for one nights stay to get FOTL during the off season. At this point we don't even know if we'll get early entry into HP -- that's a huge benefit of staying onsite right now. But will it still be there in the offseason?

I guess, in my mind, it's coming down to a gamble. Do I gamble that crowds will be light and we'll be able to ride E.T. 3 times in a row and still ride everything else? This will be our first trip to US and we are only doing 2 days, so I really want it to go smoothly. So, that is why I've booked my one night onsite and am really hoping I don't regret it.

Our planned park days are Oct 25 and 26 (going to IOA on the 26th).