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

[smiths02]

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.

Great to know. We are a family of 5, but I am thinking of going when my kids are 11, 4, and 4. We are a family of short people (and the kids are skinny) and we drive, so the kids might even sleep on one bed together or small air mattress will suffice. Glad we don't have to pay .
Is there a resort fee for Loew's?

 

[Lynne G]

No resort fees for the hotels.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

Great to know. We are a family of 5, but I am thinking of going when my kids are 11, 4, and 4. We are a family of short people (and the kids are skinny) and we drive, so the kids might even sleep on one bed together or small air mattress will suffice. Glad we don't have to pay .
Is there a resort fee for Loew's?

No, there isn't a resort fee. Just the parking fee.

 

[smiths02]

What about fridges? Do they all have one?

 

[kohlby]

Not all of the rooms have fridges yet at RPR. They are redoing the rooms and the ones that have been redone have a fridge.

As for fitting 5, we take a single air mattress and it works well. My kids are 12, 9, and 6 - with the 12 year old being bigger than me, so adult-sized. Two years ago, we would put three in one bed and 2 in the other, but we had to switch to using the air mattress last year. (Watch out for the 11 year old. My eldest gained a whopping 22 lbs that year. He's not heavy - at 12 he's 125 lbs but 5'6" The growth spurts he had have been insane and started right before he turned 11).

 

[cissy]

Can you request a room with a fridge? Do they cost more?

 

[imprint]

You can request a renovated room, and those cost the same as a non-renovated room. More renovated floors open all the time. When you make the reservation, make the request, and you (although not guaranteed) will probably get one. Some renovated rooms have an old shower/tub combo and some have a new, large shower. I personally prefer the new shower. You can request that too.

 

[SA mom]

If you are going the same time of year that free dining comes out, you can probably get some sort of discount at Universal. We get the promotional emails all the time.

As mentioned above, there is no comparison between Royal Pacific and Caribbean Beach. A better comparison would be Royal Pacific to Beach Club or Polynesian. Royal Pacific is luxurious. I think it is nicer than any Disney Deluxe.

 

[KiniShakenBake]

You can request a renovated room, and those cost the same as a non-renovated room. More renovated floors open all the time. When you make the reservation, make the request, and you (although not guaranteed) will probably get one. Some renovated rooms have an old shower/tub combo and some have a new, large shower. I personally prefer the new shower. You can request that too.

We JUST got back from a stay at the RPR in one of the renovated rooms with the nice shower - it was REALLY nice. Like, perfect for a honeymoon when all we wanted to do was take a shower at the end of our parks day and wow wasn't it a place to stay.

Beware, though. They have the softest water I've EVER experienced, and we had a water softener in our house in California. It's impossible to know when you're done getting all the soap out of your hair!!! The rooms are gorgeous, though, and I could spend a lifetime in that shower at RPR. The hubby agrees. It may be the inspiration for our upcoming renovation of our bathroom!!

 

[KiniShakenBake]

riding Stitch or Ellen's Energy Mover

I so needed that nap, though. Ellen's Energy Mover was WONDERFUL!!! Where else do you get a nearly uninterrupted 30 minute nap in Epcot?!

 

[sk8jdgca]

Look into upgrading your tickets to a annual power pass. We had 3 day tickets and it was $15 to upgrade.
Time is money. It takes way less time to get to the parks from the Royal Pacific then it does at Disney, plus using the express passes cuts down you time in line. The pool is much better a RP plus you can pool hop