Debt Dumpers 2026

[barkley]

Replace patio cover - Have not purchased this yet and instead we may end up going the pricier route of having someone do it for us. We re-measured our space and the couple different options I found won't work. We think this is because our house is older and the space our current one is in is not to the same specs as what's the norm today. So this is still TBD.

one of 'joys' of owning an older home. we ran into stuff like this with one of former homes and also lived on a prayer with at least one of the major systems b/c to replace it would have required bringing it up to (then) current code-which would have entailed ripping up part of our garage floor.

I don't consider our current home 'old' but just today I had a discussion with our electriction to schedual a bid on updating some of our light fixtures. there are some I just flat out want to replace due to the style (I had no say-it was a spec home). others? not sure if they've lived their lifespan or are not getting along with newer lightbulb technology (electrician say it could be either or both-and may be influenced by quality of light bulbs we use). fun fun.



the yard projects sound awsome!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I highly recommend staying onsite at universal. our last Orlando trip was dedicated to universal (everyone wanted it vs. Disney-kind of burned out on it). I was mentally ready to spend the same high costs for lodging as we do at wdw so I was VERY surprised at the much more reasonable rates we found the rooms very spacious and the vibe lower-key so more more relaxed. I love the boats you can transport in and we took advantage of pool hopping. we did NOT do a full bore kitchen type room (did a suite with a second bedroom attached) but the little mini kitchen w/fridge and microwave (actually 2 b/c there was another of each in the attached room) worked fine.

Just to add onto this. There are 3 Universal hotels that offer unlimited Express Pass by just showing your room key: Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel, Portofino Bay Resort.
They are not cheap but they're on par with Disney deluxe resorts. Hard Rock is about a 5 minute walk and Royal Pacific is about a 15 minute walk. We only stay at Portofino once and honestly it felt so Italian themed, I felt like I walked into my grandmother's living room. Back then it was a 5* hotel and the food places were very expensive and it was far away enough to use the water taxis but since then they have remodeled with the usual "bland diet" kind of decor, white walls and minimalistic look. Meh.

Dh has sworn he will never visit a Universal park without having a room key benefit. You are instantly spoiled. Back when our kids were young it was only those 3 hotels onsite and we had APs and they offered a great AP discount. By the time one went to college, I just bought myself an AP and it paid for itself with the hotel discounts.

When our oldest was finally tall enough for the Hulk, he said he wanted to ride it 8 times in a row. (why, Idk.) By the end of the 2nd or 3rd time, we knew exactly when the photo was coming and we'd pose and make silly faces. By the 5th time, he had enough. whew.

 

[barkley]

Just to add onto this. There are 3 Universal hotels that offer unlimited Express Pass by just showing your room key: Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel, Portofino Bay Resort.
They are not cheap but they're on par with Disney deluxe resorts. Hard Rock is about a 5 minute walk and Royal Pacific is about a 15 minute walk. We only stay at Portofino once and honestly it felt so Italian themed, I felt like I walked into my grandmother's living room. Back then it was a 5* hotel and the food places were very expensive and it was far away enough to use the water taxis but since then they have remodeled with the usual "bland diet" kind of decor, white walls and minimalistic look. Meh.

Dh has sworn he will never visit a Universal park without having a room key benefit. You are instantly spoiled. Back when our kids were young it was only those 3 hotels onsite and we had APs and they offered a great AP discount. By the time one went to college, I just bought myself an AP and it paid for itself with the hotel discounts.

When our oldest was finally tall enough for the Hulk, he said he wanted to ride it 8 times in a row. (why, Idk.) By the end of the 2nd or 3rd time, we knew exactly when the photo was coming and we'd pose and make silly faces. By the 5th time, he had enough. whew.

we pool hopped at hard rock. it seemed to have a nice laid back vibe. I like the water taxis enough that on a couple of nites we just rode back and forth on the waterways. I also like the lower key vibe of the universal's city walk.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

we pool hopped at hard rock. it seemed to have a nice laid back vibe. I like the water taxis enough that on a couple of nites we just rode back and forth on the waterways. I also like the lower key vibe of the universal's city walk.

We last stayed there at the peak of their love for the Guitar Hero game. They were fogging up the glass looking at so much of the memorabilia. So many happy memories there.

 

[Tygerlilly]

Out main problem with wherever we decide to stay is fully dependent on which rooms will hold 5 people. Luckily little dude will be about 5.5 when we go so the flip down bed in most rooms will be just fine for him and the girls can share the second bed, but I'm not 100% sure what the deluxe hotels at Universal offer vs Surfside/Dockside or Cabana Bay that have the more family oriented rooms.

 

[DanceDisney23]

Out main problem with wherever we decide to stay is fully dependent on which rooms will hold 5 people. Luckily little dude will be about 5.5 when we go so the flip down bed in most rooms will be just fine for him and the girls can share the second bed, but I'm not 100% sure what the deluxe hotels at Universal offer vs Surfside/Dockside or Cabana Bay that have the more family oriented rooms.

The Universal deluxe hotels really weren’t made with larger families in mind. I think you would need a rollaway bed for the fifth person or go for a suite which are $$$.

There are plenty of options at WDW that sleep five, however, at different price points. If you go the DVC route, most studios sleep 5 while most one bedrooms only sleep 4, with some exceptions. The one bedrooms at Kidani and BLT sleep 5 and even have two full bathrooms, which is nice. All Stars Music has family suites with three beds and two bathrooms and will be you most economical option if you want space.