Is there anything like Bonnet Creek near Universal?

[deva]

Hello,

I'm thinking of doing a few days at Universal for a party of 7 in June. Right now 2 bedrooms at the Hard Rock would run over $500 per night for 2 rooms. Are there any other options? We are DVC members and used to 2-bedroom villa accomodations. I've been reading the big thread about Bonnet Creek & it sounds great. Is there anything similar to Bonnet Creek close to Universal?

Yes, I understand the Universal Express benefit with staying on-site at Universal, but I'm wondering if I could by the Universal Express passes for the day and still come out ahead by staying off-site.

 

[sjanus]

There is Vista Cay Resort, located on Universal Boulevard. They are individually owned 2 and 3 bedroom condos and 3 bedroom townhomes. They are about 3 miles to Universal. You can find them direct by owners on www.homeaway.com and www.vrbo.com in the Orlando area. Also, there is an owners' site, www.vistacayrent.com. A management company I can recommend is Vista Cay Management LLC. Their website is www.rentorlandoproperties.com. They manage about 30 units there.

Sandy

 

[Brian Noble]

There are also a couple of Marriott's up that way.

The closest is probably Orlando International, but it's a definite step down from the Marriotts.

 

[DCTooTall]

Just wanted to also give you a heads up on the difference between a Universal on-site Express pass and the ones you purchase. The hotel stay pass is good for unlimited uses on all attractions that accept them (no Harry potter) during the length of your stay. (Including the entire day of your Check in and check out).

the one you purchase is date specific and good for only 1 use for each attraction. This means if you pre-purchase a pass for Monday, but something comes up and you don't get to the park until Tuesday, your Express pass is no longer worth anything.

Hmmmm.... Another couple of possibilities for you

1. Depending on how many people you have with you and ages, Is get 1 room onsite, and another offsite. I Think I recall that you can have up to 4 or 5 people in each room at the Universal hotel, which means 4 or 5 room keys (which act as your express pass). You could gain your additional space needed by getting someplace cheaper offsite, while still having a room key for each person in your party.

2. Look into an Annual Pass. Universal AP holders can get a nice discount on their hotel rooms. I think you would need 1 per room (universal forum might be a better location to find out for sure), but you can get up to a 30% discount off your hotel room. Since the Universal AP's don't cost a lot more than a regular multiday ticket, and you could use it for discounts off the regular tickets for the rest of your group...as well as food and merch discounts...and parking.... it could help you come out ahead.

 

[Brian Noble]

There is another ticket option, the "park to park VIP ticket". This includes unlimited universal express, rather than one-time-use. My family also prefers condo-style lodging to hotels/suites. Pricing it out for their President's Week trip, getting VIP tickets plus using our timeshare ended up being less expensive than getting an onsite hotel room plus regular tickets, and the condo will be much more comfortable for them.

 

[deva]

Yes Brian, I too was thinking of the VIP pass as opposed to the Express pass. I've also looked into the Annual Pass option. Thank you for your input.