Extra/Hidden fees. What others should I know about?

[mommymanda]

I am comparing to Disney here. My initial planning was that the cost for a Universal trip would be less for the same nights as Disney dollar wise ( I do lose three park days for the money savings though). This is comparing on site stays, meals out of pocket for either.

However two days into considering Universal I've now found out that since we are a family of 5 I either pay the extra $800+ to get a family suite...or a rollaway which costs $25/day...adding $150 to our trip.

Than, since we drive I will need to pay an additional $140 for parking at the resort for the week.

This now brings my Disney/Universal comparison to only $300 difference...and since we typically travel when Disney offers a free dining promotion that could drastically change again.

If I continue to research Universal, what other extra fees should I expect in comparison to what I am used to at Disney?

 

[tink1957]

Never mind...you covered parking fees.

 

[Ruth B]

Wifi cost, I think, $ 15 per day to use in your room and not lobby.

 

[schumigirl]

Wifi cost, I think, $ 15 per day to use in your room and not lobby.

It's free in all rooms, has been for a while.

You can upgrade to better wifi for a charge but for normal internet access regular is fine. We upgraded as we were using Skype and regular was a bit patchy.......upgraded wifi was perfect for Skype.

 

[Ruth B]

That's good to know thanks!

 

[keishashadow]

I am comparing to Disney here. My initial planning was that the cost for a Universal trip would be less for the same nights as Disney dollar wise ( I do lose three park days for the money savings though). This is comparing on site stays, meals out of pocket for either.

However two days into considering Universal I've now found out that since we are a family of 5 I either pay the extra $800+ to get a family suite...or a rollaway which costs $25/day...adding $150 to our trip.

Than, since we drive I will need to pay an additional $140 for parking at the resort for the week.

This now brings my Disney/Universal comparison to only $300 difference...and since we typically travel when Disney offers a free dining promotion that could drastically change again.

If I continue to research Universal, what other extra fees should I expect in comparison to what I am used to at Disney?

Most WDW standard rooms have a four person occupancy restriction, no rollaway permitted for 5th person but pack n plays permitted for under 3 y.o. child. As far as I know, only certain DVC units or the family suites @ All Star Music or Art of Animation will sleep up to 6 pp. Are you factoring that into your price calculations? Also, haven't seen either of the aforementiond WDW value suites included in FD promotion or in any of the sales I've monitored this year, rack rate = ouch.

 

[DisneyOma]

Most WDW standard rooms have a four person occupancy restriction, no rollaway permitted for 5th person but pack n plays permitted for under 3 y.o. child. As far as I know, only certain DVC units or the family suites @ All Star Music or Art of Animation will sleep up to 6 pp. Are you factoring that into your price calculations? Also, haven't seen either of the aforementiond WDW value suites included in FD promotion or in any of the sales I've monitored this year, rack rate = ouch.

Some moderates have the 5th bed, like at Alligator Bayou at Port Orleans.

OP, if you want the express pass you have to either stay at the more expensive hotels onsite, or pay extra for them. If you want to ride Hogwarts Express, you need park-to-park tickets. That's all I can think of?

 

[keishashadow]

Some moderates have the 5th bed, like at Alligator Bayou at Port Orleans.

OP, if you want the express pass you have to either stay at the more expensive hotels onsite, or pay extra for them. If you want to ride Hogwarts Express, you need park-to-park tickets. That's all I can think of?

is it still the small trundle? Fort Wilderness cabins sleep 6 and the deluxe resorts often will accommodate 5 but, my point was you have to compare apples to apples. The lowest priced values and most moderates won't accommodate a party of 5, age 3 & up...same as a standard, deluxe onsite Loews resort.

 

[mommymanda]

Most WDW standard rooms have a four person occupancy restriction, no rollaway permitted for 5th person but pack n plays permitted for under 3 y.o. child. As far as I know, only certain DVC units or the family suites @ All Star Music or Art of Animation will sleep up to 6 pp. Are you factoring that into your price calculations? Also, haven't seen either of the aforementiond WDW value suites included in FD promotion or in any of the sales I've monitored this year, rack rate = ouch.

It won't be apples to apples...but we are not a family that cares about the level (deluxe, value etc) of a resort as long as we fit. We only use the rooms to sleep. For me it breaks down to what fits into my yearly travel budget and which gets me more out of the deal...lol and of course what the family enjoys.

Current rack rates at Disney has us staying 7nights, 6 park days at a moderate that includes the 5th rollaway bed into our package and free parking. I'm looking at roughly $3200.

Current Universal rate has me staying 6nights, 3park days at $2400 +$150 for a bed and $140 for parking so roughly $2700 and that is with the discount they offer currently. Its not a massive difference when I factor in I will still need to purchase two more days of entertainment elsewhere in order to keep a busy vacation.

Since I'm still comparing the two I am just trying to factor in any other unknowns. Having stayed at Disney twice before I know what I pay at booking is usually all I need to worry about when it comes to our stay.

 

[pcstang]

What hotels are you comparing at Disney and universal?

 

[mommymanda]

What hotels are you comparing at Disney and universal?

Current comparison is Disney's Carribean beach compared to Universals Royal Pacific. Although I forgot I have a Disney quote for The Beach Club for $3000 so drops the cost difference by another chunk.

 

[DisneyOma]

Oh I know what else - Disney has 4 parks, US/IOA only has 2. Will the two parks be enough for your trip, even if you plan just 3 days of them? Then you'd need 3 more days elsewhere to make it comparable to your 6 days of parks at WDW. Or are you not comparing equal amount of days? You could do Disney Springs, but I think adding Seaworld and Legoland would be really expensive for a family of 5.

 

[kohlby]

Another idea to save money is a split stay. You could even do an on- site split stay, using Cabana Bay. We always do split stay, on and off-site though. Keep in mind too that the Express pass that you'll get with RPR is good for the day you check in and the day after - meaning stay 2 nights will get you 3 days of express pass. And though cabana Bay doesn't have express pass, they do have the hour early entry.

 

[Kivara]

You also haven't factored in Express Pass value. If you are comparing RP to a value Disney hotel, you are upgrading to Express Passes for all. If this is not something you care about, I would suggest Cabana Bay hotel, as they have 6 person suites and are more affordable, but no express pass.

 

[mommymanda]

You also haven't factored in Express Pass value. If you are comparing RP to a value Disney hotel, you are upgrading to Express Passes for all. If this is not something you care about, I would suggest Cabana Bay hotel, as they have 6 person suites and are more affordable, but no express pass.

The express pass is the only reason I'm researching on site. To add it to a Cabana Bay room its more money than staying at RP. I am also researching off site hotels + tickets, but express pass is something we would like to have.

 

[Lynne G]

It is tough when you have a family more than 4. When we stay at RPR, we bring a twin size blow up bed, and my teens take turns. Both don't mind it, and housekeeping always gives us extra bedding, that doesn't cost us more. Neither WDW nor USO are cheap. I find the food costs comparable, and with a car, and free small refrigerator, I tend to eat breakfast in room or on way to park and take snacks to the parks, to cut down on food purchases in the parks. Plus, I tend to eat some dinners outside the parks, as there's many lower priced restaurants within minutes of the parks.

While USO is smaller than Disney, I find there's lots to do in the parks, and while we can be commando at times, my kids enjoy down time at the pool when it's hot, and we like being able to walk to the parks, or take a short boat ride. We can find lots to do in several days at USO.

 

[VacaPlanner2012]

Based on your statement - "we use the rooms only to sleep", then you are not comparing apples to apples. That is because there are no Universal apples to compare to the 4 park, 2 waterpark WDW vacation with free dining. They are not the same place, and you will not have a comparable experience. It sounds like you want a week-long, commando style vacation going from early entry to close in theme parks, eating while you are there, and sleeping in a room that is dark at night. That simply does not define a week long, onsite stay at Universal. If you want something similar (and it is still not), get a cheap, clean hotel on or near International Drive ( I would actually recommend a Sea World partner hotel), you can get a package with free dining one day each at Sea World and Aquatica included, Quick Queue at Sea World and other perks. Get the 5 park pass, Aquatica is just as good as a WDW waterpark (opinion only), Sea World is fun and adding a new coaster next year, and you can spend a couple days at Universal. We stayed at Faifield Inn and Suites at Sea World, and the included continental breakfast was more than sufficient, although we always enjoyed our breakfasts at Carribean Beach as well. There are plenty of budget minded food options on I Drive, and a day at WonderWorks is inexpensive and enjoyable.

I will let others chime in, but we have done the free dining Disney immersive vacation, plenty of onsite stays at Universal, and multiple Sea World/Discovery Cove centric vacations. They are all different and in the same ball park of vacation dollars. I know Discovery Cove will cost us more, but it is awesome and we have to wait and save for an extra six months to do it, just the way it is. But, we always seem to leave our Universal vacations wanting more. On site hotels and pools rock, dining is incredible, the parks are great and relevant and changing/upgrading each year, CityWalk is a blast, Blue Man is wonderful and always funny, and we don't have to plan our food 180 days in advance, rides 30 to 60 days in advance, and we can enjoy and relax at that same time.

And, most importantly, there is this value enhancer that you might hear a lot about - Express Pass!!!! No more commando for us. Quite frankly, if Disney had anything similar and I had to pay rack rate at deluxe Disney hotels, we would do it. Everyone has their opinion and this is mine - but if you took my family's favorite Disney rides from each of the four parks and put them in one or two parks, closely situated, along with the best Disney restaurants, and gave us unlimited fast passes, we would be all in. But, I am not wasting my dollars riding Stitch or Ellen's Energy Mover waiting 30 minutes in a certain portion of the park so I can make my ADR that I made half a year ago.

I stated in a previous thread that the only way I got my kids to WDW for the first time was the free dining fall package and we had a great time. My niece is a Disney travel agent, so I get it. Those packages are a great value - and they might not be matched at other Orlando destinations. Hopefully for you and thousand of other families, Disney will continue to offer that package. But, there are other destinations and other experiences to try. My wife is the kind to continue to go to what she knows, I am a try a bunch of new stuff kind of guy. Polar opposites - yet for the past 17 years, it has worked.

 

[squirrel]

I would switch to Cabana Bay's Family Suite, it still gives you the extra hour in the morning at the park. You would have more room in the room and a microwave. You could save a lot by having some food and snacks in the room. Cabana Bay also has the refillable mug similar to WDW. The pool looks awesome. I'm going at a slower time, not sure when you are planning on going. Express passes might be worth having depending on when you are going.

I haven't been to WDW in a few years now, but have done quite a few Free Dining trips. I priced out my regular 14 nights at my value resort for WDW and it was considerably more than a 14 night split stay with Cabana Bay and a Sea World partner hotel. I know WDW could offer free dining but I don't want to wait to see.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I budget about the same for a Universal trip as I do for a Disney trip. As my kiddo has gotten older and more of a Potter fan, the pendulum has swung from more Disney to more Universal.

Don't forget that you could bring an air mattress to Universal and avoid the $25 fee. IMO, even a cheap air mattress is as comfortable as a rollaway.

It sounds like you are driving, but if you weren't airport transfers might be an unexpected expense. I also tend to have more things to tip for at Universal.

There is other value in going to Universal - specifically, for me, it is a more relaxed vacation.

 

[mommymanda]

Thanks for the air mattress tip, we do drive so would not be hard to toss one in the van to save money. I can cross that off my budget and sounds like parking will be my only add on.

We are not early/late park goers. We enjoy the vacation, sleep in and usually arrive for 10am. Head back around 5-6pm or when tired. Hang at the hotel pool for the evening.
This is why the on site expresspass option interests me. Getting there later but still avoiding crazy lines is appealing.