Creatively Obsessed
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2011
- Messages
- 34
My daughter and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites at Universal Studios Main Gate, a Universal partner hotel, just before Thanksgiving. The room was much more spacious than expected. The hotel has a good over all clean feeling and the staff was responsive to our needs though not overly friendly. (Most of the time we were not even acknowledged as we walked past at least 3 employees entering and exiting the hotel). The hotel was being refurbished during our stay, though we would not have known it. There is no continental breakfast. You can pay to eat at the TGI Fridays in front of the hotel. We knew our room would have a fridge and coffee maker and were happy to find it also had a microwave. We had no interest in the pool but for those of you that do, it is a plain in-ground pool, nothing special
I picked Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites at Universal Studios Main Gate because of its location and because to save money I did not want to rent a car. When booking my reservation I was told we could walk across the street and the park gates were right there. That was not accurate. While the hotel is across from the road that leads to the parks, the actual entrance to the parks is at least a half hours brisk walk from the hotel. Which was do-able for my adult daughter and I, but would not work for someone with young children, some elderly people, or those with certain disabilities. After the first day, when we realized how long the walk was, we looked into taking Super Star Shuttle, which we learned runs from the hotel to the parks. But found the schedule very limited and not well thought out.
Super Star Shuttle runs from the hotel to the park 3 times in the morning (8:20, 8:50 and 10:10) and from the park to the hotel at night. No service for people who have early park admission. No service for people who want to go to the park in the afternoon or evening. No service from the parks for people who need to go back to the hotel for lunch or nap. The latest night time shuttle leaves the parks at the same time the parks close. You can not stay in the parks until they close or you will miss the shuttle. If you do not take the morning shuttle (say because the times dont work for you) your not allowed to take the evening shuttle. In addition you have to make reservations at the desk inside the hotel no later than the afternoon of the day before or there is no space available.
I picked Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites at Universal Studios Main Gate because of its location and because to save money I did not want to rent a car. When booking my reservation I was told we could walk across the street and the park gates were right there. That was not accurate. While the hotel is across from the road that leads to the parks, the actual entrance to the parks is at least a half hours brisk walk from the hotel. Which was do-able for my adult daughter and I, but would not work for someone with young children, some elderly people, or those with certain disabilities. After the first day, when we realized how long the walk was, we looked into taking Super Star Shuttle, which we learned runs from the hotel to the parks. But found the schedule very limited and not well thought out.
Super Star Shuttle runs from the hotel to the park 3 times in the morning (8:20, 8:50 and 10:10) and from the park to the hotel at night. No service for people who have early park admission. No service for people who want to go to the park in the afternoon or evening. No service from the parks for people who need to go back to the hotel for lunch or nap. The latest night time shuttle leaves the parks at the same time the parks close. You can not stay in the parks until they close or you will miss the shuttle. If you do not take the morning shuttle (say because the times dont work for you) your not allowed to take the evening shuttle. In addition you have to make reservations at the desk inside the hotel no later than the afternoon of the day before or there is no space available.
