Decisions, decisions.....

[mumzie2three]

OK I have two hotel ressies for 4/17-4/21 and I'm having a hard time deciding which to cancel.

1) Royal Pacific Resort for $207 a night
PROS: front of the line at Universal, walking distance to parks, great pool
CONS: hotel charges for parking, small rooms, more expensive, less free food

2)Homewood Suites nearest to Universal for $114 a night
PROS: free breakfast, free afternoon manager's reception, free parking, separate bedroom area
CONS: drive to park and pay for parking or take shuttle, NO front of the line access

I've never stayed at either so any advice would be appreciated.

 

[dgaston]

Choose FOTL. Makes everything wonderful!!

 

[lynn813]

we're doing both. starting out at homewood suites from 4/6 to 4/11 and then staying 4/11 to 4/12 at royal pacific so we can have fotl for those days. it's our first time to UO. only 3 weeks till we leave!!!

 

[calgarygary]

You do not indicate in your posting about the ages of your children and the likelihood of having to return to the resort if they are tired. I can appreciate the savings that Homewood Suites is providing but if the goal is to have a great vacation, I would go with RPR. The fotl combined with the proximity of the RPR, means a more leisurely start to your day and the ability to return to the hotel for a rest. If the children are older, then you can return and allow the children added time in the parks.

 

[zdad]

FOTL is a must. I think you can "buy it" too, even if you are staing off site. You should check that out.

We stayed at Hard Rock for 4 nites on our last trip. FOTL was great. Hotel was nice. Could have done it all in 2 nites though. FOTL gets you through the parks so much faster. THink about your number of days there, and if you are combining with WDW, maybe add a couple days there. So many more options at WDW.

Z

 

[ValDisney]

def.. royal Pacific
I stayed there 2yrs ago with my children.. it was great
they were young so the FOTL was great. My son was still in a stoller and it was great just getting on the boat with him. Also we didn't have to rush in the morning. the pool was so much fun. I felt as if we had a chance to enjoy the hotel because we didn't have to rush to the parks.
You don't have to wait for shuttles, the boats keep coming.
when we go back, I am def staing there.

 

[calgarygary]

FOTL is a must. I think you can "buy it" too, even if you are staing off site. You should check that out.


Z

If you do decide to buy, remember that you will not receive the unlimited fotl that your room key gives you, but rather 1 per ride.

 

[mumzie2three]

Thanks for the recommendations.
My girls are 7 1/2 and 6. We are only doing 3 days at Universal, no Disney this trip, and it's their first time to Uni.
If the RPR was any higher than the $207 I wouldn't even consider it. Still I'm hesitant to commit to stay there since it will cost us more in food and parking.
No matter where we stay we will be up and in the park at opening. At RPR we can hit the pool in the middle of the day and go back to the parks in the afternoon (parks close at 6pm).
If we were staying longer than 4 nights I would split the two but I hate to pack up and change hotels after only two days. Plus the RPR rate would go up.

 

[calgarygary]

I just checked the AP rates during your stay and you may want to consider investing in an annual pass for yourself. The rates for 17, 18, & 19 would be $154+taxes/night and the rate for the 20th would be $189. A preferred annual pass costs 179 + taxes so you would completely recover the cost of the pass in your room rate, not have to buy a ticket for yourself and have discounts in many restaurants, counterservice and shops throughout the parks.

 

[mumzie2three]

I just checked the AP rates during your stay and you may want to consider investing in an annual pass for yourself. The rates for 17, 18, & 19 would be $154+taxes/night and the rate for the 20th would be $189. A preferred annual pass costs 179 + taxes so you would completely recover the cost of the pass in your room rate, not have to buy a ticket for yourself and have discounts in many restaurants, counterservice and shops throughout the parks.

That is a fantastic idea and I did think of it. The only problem is I already bought our tickets, the kids free with adult ones.
But at least I know to look at all my options for next time.

 

[Freyja]

That is a fantastic idea and I did think of it. The only problem is I already bought our tickets, the kids free with adult ones.
But at least I know to look at all my options for next time.

Could you maybe upgrade them to AP´s?

 

[mumzie2three]

Could you maybe upgrade them to AP´s?

I don't know how I could do that. They are electronic tickets that I'll get when we go to the parks. By then I'll already be checked in. Would they adjust my rate after the fact?

 

[zaxmom]

Yes, I think they will and it is a great idea. A friend of mine bought her's in the lobby when we checked in. They may be able to upgrade them there. You might lose your kids free, though. I am not sure. I would call, because this is a great idea and you could go again within the year. If you can't upgrade, I would stay onsite for the three nights. Take a cooler and milk and cereal for breakfast. There are not a lot of quick breakfast options at the park.

With Disney, I can go either way. The only way for me to go to Universal is onsite with FOTL.

 

[calgarygary]

You will not have to upgrade all the tickets just one. I suggest taking this question about whether they will upgrade your ticket to an AP over to the Universal Board so that one of the more informed people could address it. There are limited AP rates available, so do not try to adjust your room rate on site. Rather, you can reserve an AP rate, check in, if they ask to see your card, advise the desk clerk that you are getting it electronically and after you get your AP just drop by the front desk to show them the pass.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I agree with the others. IMHO, staying onsite at UO is an easy decision, much more so than deciding whether or not to stay onsite at WDW.

As far as food goes, have you considered taking some food with you. You could take breakfast & lunch, if you wanted. For a short stay, a cooler will keep things like milk, juice, & sandwich meat chilled with no problem. You can get free ice at the hotel. Take some cereal, fruit, pastries, bread, chips or prepared veggies & you're set. Naturally, it always makes sense to take some beverages for your room. For us, that's can soft drinks. Regardless of what you drink, it's cheaper to take some for your room than buying it all on property.

If you don't want to do that, you can get a fairly good, inexpensive breakfast at Pastamore. It's located on the RPR side of CityWalk. They have good breakfast pizzas, & other items as well. The portions are large enough to share. You can sit outside & people watch, while you leisurely enjoy your breakfast knowing the masses entering the park ahead of you isn't a problem. You can also take some juice or whatever from your personal cooler to save even more.

Have a great trip! You're going to love staying onsite at UO. FYI, your kids are the perfect age for RPR's pool.