DVC vs. Universal Deluxe

[MamaRoo]

Hi there - my kids and I are new DVC members, we had our first DVC vacation at Aulani last May (ah-mazing!!)

I just told the kiddos (6 & 9) that I booked a DVC stay at our home resort in Orlando (Wilderness Lodge BCV), and they reminded me that I promised a few days at universal and LEGO land for our next trip. This would be our first time at either uni or LEGO, so I’m not sure the best way to go about this.

Question is - does it make sense to use our DVC points and stay at wilderness lodge as our home base, or is it better to do a couple of nights at a Uni deluxe and get the perks that come along with that?

 

[Ms.Minnie]

Depends, are driving? If not you will have to get transportation to Universal each day you plan to visit (added expense). How long will you be in FL and are you planning on spending any time at the WDW parks? IMHO I think if you are planning on spending a couple of days at Universal it might be best to stay there and take advantage of their perks in the parks for staying on site. I believe they have front of the line perks at the parks if you're staying in one of their resorts and you won't have the daily commute to Universal from WDW. Once you have done that part of your trip you could go to WDW and enjoy your stay there possibly saving some points that you could bank into the following year or rent to help offset the cost of lodging at Universal.

 

[Boardwalkin]

If you are only visiting Universal for one day it would be easier to stay at Disney and not switch hotels. If you will visit universal for multiple days I would highly recommend staying on site for the perks. Also check for annual pass discounts on rooms. I bought an annual pass for myself and i saved much more on the room than the increased pass cost.

 

[Best Aunt]

The perks are not the same at all Universal hotels so make sure you know the rules for the hotel you are considering.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...I just told the kiddos (6 & 9) that I booked a DVC stay at our home resort in Orlando (Wilderness Lodge BCV), and they reminded me that I promised a few days at universal and LEGO land for our next trip. ....

BCV is Beach Club Villas. BRV is Boulder Ridge Villas. CCV is Copper Creek Villas and Cabins. If you own a resort at WL, it would be Boulder Ridge (the separate building) or Copper Creek ( the south wing of the main lodge, plus the cabins at WL).

 

[gharter]

Our last trip, we stayed at Royal Pacific We have stayed at Hard Rock and Portofino Bay as well. It was well worth staying onsite and getting the free express pass. It got us front of the line to every attraction. Didn't matter how busy the park was. Then we moved to our reservation at Disney.

 

[Best Aunt]

Our last trip, we stayed at Royal Pacific We have stayed at Hard Rock and Portofino Bay as well. It was well worth staying onsite and getting the free express pass. It got us front of the line to every attraction. Didn't matter how busy the park was. Then we moved to our reservation at Disney.

But I think the newer Universal hotels do not give free express pass. (But I haven't been paying much attention.)

 

[gharter]

But I think the newer Universal hotels do not give free express pass. (But I haven't been paying much attention.)

That's correct. Only certain resorts offer the free express pass.

 

[Bing Showei]

Universal has three "Premium" resorts that include the Unlimited Express Passes. Portofino Bay, Hard Rock, and Royal Pacific.

If you are planning a day or two at Universal, I would recommend doing them at the head, or tail of your trip (as opposed to in the middle), renting your DVC points to pay for the Universal hotels. The helpful thing about the Universal Express Passes is that they are good for day of check in and day of check out. So if you plan two days there, for example, you could book just one day, leave Disney early, drop your bags off at bell services, head into the park, enjoy, check out early next day leaving bags with bell services, and enjoy a second day at Universal with the express pass.

Doing Universal without the express pass (depending on the time of year) can be inefficient/frustrating. During slow travel times the passes are less critical.

 

[limace]

We did this in March-two nights at Hard Rock and then 5 at boardwalk, and it was a great trip. Highly recommend staying on property at universal for the express pass, and the resort was lovely and a five minute walk from the parks. Easy to Uber between.

 

[Ben E N]

Just a cool little side note that I looked into, and had not realized before. The Universal hotels are not owned by Universal themselves, making them much more bookable by outside sources. If you have a Capitol One Venture Card, you can book using their engine to get 10% back. That makes renting out points and staying at their deluxe hotels make that much more economical sense.

And as for one night being worth two days, if I read right, you can check in as early as 6 am, meaning that you can still get into the park early on both days, using the express pass for the full length of the days.

 

[kniquy]

Question is - does it make sense to use our DVC points and stay at wilderness lodge as our home base, or is it better to do a couple of nights at a Uni deluxe and get the perks that come along with that?

We have found it is more convenient to stay on property at UO. Simply getting the express pass makes it worth it for the cost of the room at UO. The express pass can range (and don't quote me) from ~$80pp to $100+pp, so a for my family of 5 it makes sense to spend the $300-400 for the room.

What you can do is - book a room for one night at UO -- this will give you 2 days of express pass - on check in and check out day. 2 days is probably plenty to most of what UO has. You could do this in the middle of your WDW stay or tack it on at beginning or end.

My family did it at the end of a WDW trip and as much as it was a joy to not have to plan anything at UO I really missed ending our trip at WDW. So this next trip we are doing UO for 3 days at the beginning.

 

[CarolynFH]

In addition to getting two days of Express Pass for the cost of one night at the hotel, if you're driving you can park your car there from arrival on day 1 until departure on day 2 and only pay for one night parking instead of two days parking in the garage.

 

[bumbershoot]

Onsite at universal deluxe is far better than staying DVC for a universal stay.

 

[MamaRoo]

BCV is Beach Club Villas. BRV is Boulder Ridge Villas. CCV is Copper Creek Villas and Cabins. If you own a resort at WL, it would be Boulder Ridge (the separate building) or Copper Creek ( the south wing of the main lodge, plus the cabins at WL).

Oops! thanks for the correction. I'm new....=) so we're at BRV.

 

[OKWJan]

Universal Premium hotels for visiting those theme parks. So worth not having to buy an express pass. We love the Royal Pacific. Also, Legoland is lots of fun, especially for younger kids.